In a pivotal City Council meeting, Astoria signaled its support for a code amendment package aimed at facilitating the expansion of Columbia Memorial Hospital.

The proposed changes, endorsed by the Planning Commission in September, would provide crucial flexibility for the hospital’s project. Notably, these adjustments would exempt the hospital campus from certain design requirements and permit a height increase from the current 45-foot standard to over 90 feet. This elevation aims to create upper floors capable of operating during earthquakes or tsunamis. 

Winterbrook Planning is assisting the city this important project. Our very own Managing Principal, Jesse Winterowd, explained the reasoning for the code amendments:

“The concept here was to take this process and put it into a realm where the hospital knows exactly what they need to do to meet the standards for development in Astoria and not leave it up to chance or various opinions of a changing environment over time,” Winterowd said. “Because they’re looking at many years, maybe 20-plus years of potential development, and it’s hard to design that to subjective standards.” 

—  Image credit and quote from The Daily Astorian article “Astoria sorts through code changes for Columbia Memorial expansion“

The code amendment package is expected to secure adoption in the coming weeks, marking a pivotal milestone in Astoria’s efforts to enhance healthcare infrastructure and disaster resilience.