McKinley East Sacramento Neighborhood Association (MENA)

MENA takes action regarding the Mercy expansion debate

Jul 13, 2005

MENA board members recently voted in June to approve the following statement regarding MENA?’s position on Mercy General Hospital?’s Alex G. Spanos Heart Center project.

1. We are concerned about additional traffic impacts that will occur with the MGH Expansion/Remodel Project.
2. We are concerned that adequate off-street parking is provided for both current and future uses.
3. We are concerned about both short and long term impacts on Sacred Heart School with it remaining so close to MGH.
4. We are concerned about the proposed square foot increase at MGH and the impact it may have on traffic and parking in the neighborhood.
5. MENA wants assurance that specific mitigation plans are in place to protect the neighborhood including noise, debris, pollution, construction vehicles, traffic and staging.
6. MENA will actively monitor all MGH plans as they progress to ensure all impacts on the East Sacramento neighborhood are minimized.

In June, MENA also sent a letter to the city?’s environmental coordinator regarding the Environmental Impact Report for Mercy?’s heart center project.

To ensure that the traffic analysis is adequate and accurate, MENA requested a comprehensive transportation management plan be included in the EIR to mitigate traffic impacts. The letter suggested the TMP go beyond the standard TMP typically prepared for city development. The following components were stressed as essential in the letter that was also sent to city Councilman Steve Cohn:

1. Institute a monthly parking fee for all employees. Expand and adequately enforce a neighborhood parking permit program.
2. Offer free transit passes to all employees.
3. Offer commensurate subsidies to all employees who walk, bike, carpool or vanpool to work.
4. Eliminate in-out parking privileges for employees during their work shift.
5. Establish or expand a shuttle system to provide transportation for employees to and from light rail transit and between facilities where employees may be required to travel during the work shift.
6. Provide on-site ancillary services for employees including banking, dry cleaning and food service.

The letter went on to state that the TMP must be reviewed annually by the city council and if a 40% reduction in employee trips has not been achieved, additional measures must be instituted to achieve that level of reduction. An exemplary TMP should also allow for some reduction in the amount of requested on-site parking, thereby also reducing the impact of the overall development on the immediate neighbors.
Traffic impacts in the vicinity of the proposed project are already overwhelming at certain times. This project can make things substantially worse unless extreme care is taken in the evaluation and extraordinary traffic mitigation is instituted.