Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission held March 25, 2025, 6:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of City Hall.
Members present:
Mike Cook – Chairman
Kevin Asker – Vice Chair
Dan Gautney
Brian Perry
James Zehner
Lee Spencer
Yolanda Stout
City Staff: City Administrator Kennedy
The meeting was called to order by Mike Cook at 6:00 p.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: On motion by Dan Gautney, second by Yolanda Stout to approve the minutes of February 25, 2025, as presented. Motion carried.
PUBLIC HEARING #1: The public hearing was opened at 6:01 p.m.
APPLICANT PRESENTATION: Abner King, Syringa Hospital and Matt Black owner of 423 N A presented their application to house offices in the residential property. The hospital wants to improve the health and wellbeing of the community and offer services, so people don’t have to leave town. More providers require more support staff. The hospital is trying to solve space issues. They are trying to maximize patient care space. Those not related to patient care could move offsite. They are considering the possibility of temporarily relocating to 423 N A. One option is to lease office space with normal business hours Monday – Friday. They would not generate noise outside of exterior walls. There would be computer and phone traffic but no visitors or patients to this location, and no staff would go to the location for meetings. Syringa is trying to address the health needs for the community. They have no commitments to the property, floor plans or designs. The first step is to see if this is possible. They don’t want to disrupt the surrounding area.
Matt Black explained he bought the property almost a year ago. He was going to remodel the house, and it turned into a rebuild project instead. He is ready to work on the floor plan inside. He works as a provider at the hospital and is aware of the issues they face. He approached the administration to see if it would help to relocate workers temporarily. The hospital is not intending to be there permanently. He’s hoping it’s a temporary fix for the time being. The plan for the future would be to complete it as a residential house.
Dan Gautney asked what is temporary. Matt stated it is unknown, maybe a couple years.
Abner said they have long term plans but having land is one thing and having land with a structure on it is another. Funding takes time. It’s an opportunity to address the needs space of the hospital. If the application is approved, it doesn’t mean the hospital will go through with it. He approached city hall to find out the zoning and since Kennedy said she can’t predict the outcome, they are going through the conditional use process.
Kevin Asker asked if the hospital owns the administrative office on N A about a block away. Abner explained that hospice is in that building. The Administration office is on N B and it’s fully occupied, including a storage room that was converted to office space. Abner explained this property would provide temporary relief, not permanent. Mike Cook questioned how long is temporary and do you have plans determined. Abner explained the oldest part of the facility was built before World War II, with the patient wing added in 1988 and the newest part was built in 1990. They have a master facility plan to modernize the facility but it’s a big ticket price and funding has not been determined. It could be 2 years, 5 years or not at all depending on opinions tonight.
STAFF PRESENTATION: City Administrator Kennedy reported all notices of hearing were delivered to those property owners within 300’ and published in the paper for the public at large. According to city code, hospitals are considered a specific use under conditional uses and may be permitted within any use district, following the conditional use process.
WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE: None
SUPPORTERS: None
NEUTRALS: Dick Seay, 508 N Idaho stated his concern is parking. With 6-10 people coming every day, he questioned where they would park.
OPPONENTS: Jamie Russel, 420 N A stated this building is in her front yard as she looks right at the house. It’s a neighborhood. She’s afraid that if it becomes an office building it would never go back to residential. She is worried about snow removal and parking. That side of the street floods. She supports the hospital; she belongs to the Eagles and is a big supporter. She is opposed to this. She understands the temporary thing but is afraid if approved, everything would be changed.
Marsha Lance, 408 N A stated she is an employee at the hospital and sees both sides. She has lived at her house since 1984. It is residential. She is concerned that adding 6-10 people will create parking and noise problems. You add more people, you get more noise. There is already more noise with the school built by the Nazarene church. There is speeding, a lot of U-turns with school drops offs and wrong way drivers on one-way streets. She’s worried about the disruption of the quality of home life. It’s not a business area. It’s residential. She wants to do the right thing for everyone but felt the house needed to be a residence not a business so they can go home and live and not feel like they are in a commercial area.
Jennifer Brown, 610 W North 5th stated her daughter goes to the Nazarene school and she also has a problem with the traffic in the area, not only from the parents of those attending the school but just the neighbors who don’t have very good driving skills. She is opposed to the conditional use and feels the house needs to be residential. She felt it would be nice to have school zone driving rather than 35 mph so they could use more management in that area. The hospital has a parking area across Main Street, maybe they could expand there and put in modular buildings to buy them time until they can build.
Dana Curtis, 426 N A stated she has lived in Grangeville for 40 years and at this residence. North A leads to the Nazarene church/school, and it leads to GEMS. Lots of kids walk the street, and she is worried about the safety of the kids. They are alone and without supervision. She is in favor of the expansion of the hospital. She is a former employee and a current long-term patient. She doesn’t support commercial business in a residential zone. With the housing shortage, she would like to see it as a housing option for the hospital and/or other people.
Steven Bruce, 318 N A stated he moved in three years ago. Traffic in the neighborhood is necked down already. As a general contractor pulling a trailer you have to snake around getting up and down the street. He stated the building is jacked up but when you plan on load bearing walls, you don’t just change it back. He felt mobile options on the hospital property are better options, rather than necking down travel in the neighborhood.
APPLICANT REBUTTAL: Matt Black addressed the parking problem by stating there are 8 parking spaces around the curb and 2 in the driveway. If that didn’t’ work, there is 30’ of space on the north side of the house, which would allow side by side parking of 10 spaces 9’ apart. Right now, it’s curb and gutter, which would need to be modified. The building foundation is completed, has a full frame wall and new concrete construction and the structure is sound. He hasn’t completed interior walls or the bathroom until this process is completed.
Hearing closed at 6:29 p.m.
DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION: James Zehner grew up on 314 N A. It used to be a gravel street and in 1976 the road was paved. Each house that has been added has increased traffic, and with the school, traffic also increased. Parking is an issue. Most people don’t have just one car, and they park on the street. With the increased traffic and parking problems he’d have a hard time moving forward with the conditional use. Lee Spener felt it was difficult to disagree with neighborhood concerns. The school has already impacted the neighborhood. Parking could be mitigated but not the traffic. Brian Perry felt the essence of a neighborhood is what we are trying to preserve. He felt there would be parking issues as well as snow removal and the city already has a lack of housing. We can have all the commercial building we want, but if people don’t have anywhere to live because we degrade our residential zones they won’t be in Grangeville. He felt it has a negative impact on the neighborhood and the citizens showed up as a neighborhood as evidenced by the room full. Dan Gautney agreed with Brian, and he also wanted to maintain the residential area. Yolanda Stout agreed, and stated there is a lack of housing. Kevin Asker would like to see Syringa explore opportunities in the commercial zone, rather than residential.
FINDINGS OF FACT:
a. The conditional use does not unreasonable impact public health, general welfare or general interest in the community. There was concern the general interest of the community is for a residential neighborhood and it would change with an administrator site.
b. The proposed conditional use of property or structures will be appropriately located with respect to transportation facilities, water supply, fire and police protection, waste disposal and other similar facilities which might be needed for the proposed use. Snow removal will be an issue and although there are alternatives to parking, parking on the street would be further limited.
c. The general neighborhood character and surrounding property values will not be unreasonably negatively impacted. Neighborhood character would be a change from current residential neighborhood compared to a combined neighborhood with commercial use.
d. The proposed conditional use will not cause an undue traffic hazard or unreasonable parking problem in the use district in which the conditional use is proposed. There is additional parking that could be off street, but there is already a traffic and parking situation expressed from those commenting.
e. There is no substantial community objection and the terms of section 10-10-3 of this chapter are incorporated herein as an additional condition to the granting of a conditional use. There is fairly substantial community objection.
Kennedy explained under the definitions for a conditional use, hospitals are a specific use; therefore they do not need to have a full-time resident on site.
On motion by James Zehner, second by Yolanda Stout recommend to the city council to that the conditional use is not approved. ROLL CALL VOTE: YES: Gautney, Stout, Asker, Spencer, Zehner, Perry. NO: none. ABSTAIN: none. The motion passed.
NEXT MEETING: A meeting is scheduled for April 22, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
Adjourned by Mike Cook at 6:41 p.m.
Tonya Kennedy – City Clerk
