City Rejects Saint John's Parking Proposal

The city has rejected Saint John Health Center's latest proposal to provide fewer parking spaces for its employees, doctors and patients.

In a letter Friday to hospital administration, city Planning Director David Martin said the proposal falls short by at least 210 parking spaces.

Those spots, Martin said, are needed to meet the terms of an agreement the hospital has with the city that allows it to forgo building a 422-space parking garage, if the hospital provides the equivalent amount of parking either on its campus or through leases at private lots.

The hospital has said its proposal for 232 fewer spaces provided enough spaces to meet parking demands even on its busiest days.

The 210 space deficit is the difference between the 738 spaces the hospital owns now and the 948 it would have owned had it built the parking garage.

In his letter, Martin asked Saint John's for updated information on a parking demand analysis drawn up by a private consultant, including on the impact of 80 new spaces added at the hospital's entryway. Martin also asked for a breakdown of all of its leases, including their terms and cancellation periods. He gave an April 29 deadline.

The hospital's proposal, submitted in January, was triggered by the Colorado Center giving notice in November that it was terminating Saint John's 10-year lease for 450 spaces on March 31.

A copy of Martin's response, which was released to local media Monday afternoon, is attached to the right of this article.