At last, positive movement in the health center debate
December 10, 2009
The pivotal moment in the ongoing saga of the Del Puerto Health Center came in May, when the City Council voted in favor of developer John Ramos’ appeal of the health center’s staff-approved move to the Keystone Pacific Business Park.
That decision itself was important in that it seems to have shaped perceptions on both sides of the issue, but it’s what happened thereafter that shaped this convoluted mess we have now.
Those trying to move the health center — including Keystone, the Del Puerto Health Care District and the district’s board of directors — saw the council agreeing with Ramos’ interpretation of the zoning law and took it to mean the city was aligned with Ramos and against the health care district and would never side in its favor.
That perception was reinforced when the council accepted Ramos’ attorney’s use of case law as a questionable precedent to show that a city’s zoning law should trump a development agreement. Later, when the council voted to reimburse the legal fees Ramos incurred during the appeal, that perception was further reinforced.
Those in the health district and at Keystone saw this as a roadblock to working with the city on modifying the zoning law to conform with the original development agreement established in 2003, so they pushed forward with an initiative instead — a move seen as threatening and alienating to at least some council members and one that created more hostility between the two sides.
Members of the council, after denying the move based on weak case law, left the district to its own devices rather than reaching out to help reach a solution. Since the unveiling of the initiative, jilted council members have stuck so rigidly to the legal process that any hope of a swift conclusion has been eradicated.
Both sides felt strongly that they could not work with each other, but they’ve hardly tried — the vast majority of their efforts over the past six months have been spent in opposition, not in partnership.
Things came to a head last week. The council stuck to “The Process” to a point where the earliest this initiative can go to ballot is now June. That brought forth claims from the health district that the health center might pack up for good if something isn’t done before its lease expires March 31.
Finally, after a week in which it seemed less likely than ever that the two sides could come together, it appears there might be some reason for optimism.
It’s been decided that — are you sitting down? — representatives from the city and from the health care district will actually get together in the same room for a meeting to discuss a possible solution to this zoning problem.
Now, was that so hard? Apparently.
This week’s news was a welcome change to the accusations and finger-pointing that have dominated the past six months of this debate. We can only hope that it’s not too late and that the point of no return has not yet been reached — because losing the health center over this would be something all involved would have a hard time living down.
