BY ALLEN HOWARD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SYCAMORE TOWNSHIP -- Hamilton County commissioners Wednesday approved a zoning request for Jewish Hospital Kenwood that could speed up any improvements the hospital wants to make.
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Jewish Hospital has won a zoning change that drops the right for nearby residents to review its plans.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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The change, from a combination of single- and multifamily zoning to planned-office, means less oversight by the township and nearby residents. Some fear it could have a "domino effect" on their property.
Township trustees had voted against the change, saying the office zoning takes away the review process for people who live near the hospital, at the southwest corner of Galbraith and Kenwood roads.
"We have a mixture of commercial and residential areas at this intersection and we are trying to balance things out," said Lori Thompson, township administrator.
She said residents want to review any changes the hospital makes, which they could do under the residential zoning.
"Under the planned-office zoning, the hospital can make a request to the Hamilton County . . . staff for minor changes and get approval without the residents knowing about it," Mrs. Thompson said.
Commissioners Tom Neyer and Bob Bedinghaus said they supported the zoning change on the condition that the hospital work with Duke Construction on getting traffic problems at the intersection solved. Commissioner John Dowlin was not present.
Duke plans to build a medical office building on the northwest corner of the intersection and has made recommendations for improvements. "I think the zoning change gives the township the flexibility it needs in the future for developing the intersection," Mr. Bedinghaus said.
Nick Vehr, consultant for the hospital, said the planned-office zoning is necessary to prevent long delays in making changes on the hospital property.
"It took the hospital 17 months to go through the process to get approval to build a restaurant," Mr. Vehr said. "The hospital needs to get on with its job of patient care and not spend so much time going through zoning procedures."
Hospital renovation, expansion and other projects have caused disputes with residents and township officials since the hospital moved to Sycamore Twp. in 1988.
The expansion and zoning changes are frightening to Dorothy Covington, 75, who grew up in a house on Kenwood Road several doors from the hospital.
"I remember when Kenwood Road was just a cow path," she said. "I know we have to be realistic about living close to a hospital because I know what can happen. I am just afraid all this might mean rezoning my property."
Her daughter, Lynn Elfers, who lives across the street, said she thought they were coming to a residential area when they built a house there 17 years ago.
"It's not residential anymore. It's a buzzing metropolis," she said. "They are destroying our neighborhood, the trees and the wildlife."
Jewish Hospital bought 9.5 acres of the old Epp Memorial Hospital property and opened there with 80 beds. In 10 years, it has grown to 175 beds. Much of the increase came when Jewish closed its hospital in Avondale.
Emergency services have accounted for the biggest portion of the increase in the hospital's operation, jumping from 15,000 runs in 1997 to a projected 30,000 by the end of this year. The hospital has built a helipad near the emergency room to help speed up the delivery and intake of emergency patients.
Residents said the hospital has been a main contributor to traffic woes at the intersection.
Traffic counts by county engineers show that 34,100 vehicles move through the intersection daily, with 21,000 on Kenwood Road and 13,100 on Galbraith Road.
"I agree with the hospital's argument that it is an asset to the area; but if you can't get in and out of it safely, it could become a hazard," said Ted Hubbard, deputy county engineer.
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