Today NE 45th Street Bus Shelter Being Removed

Children's Hospital posted on their Construction Blog that starting today, work will begin to demolish the westbound bus shelter, located on NE 45th St near 42nd Avenue NE.  The Metro bus stop will remain. 

During the demolition, which will be noisy at times due to breaking up and removing the concrete pad the shelter sits on, Metro Route 78 bus riders should use the existing westbound bus stop further east on NE 45th Street. 

Children's Hospital told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff about the shelter, which is owned by the Hospital:

We are removing the shelter because it is in poor condition and concerns were raised about safety issues related to transient activity at the shelter. The shelter wasn’t being utilized by Seattle Children’s staff, patients and families as intended waiting for the bus, and Metro supported it’s removal.  There is another bus shelter up the hill that metro considers the primary bus stop for this route, and it gets much more use.

Once the shelter is removed, the area will be replanted and blended with the surrounding landscaping. 

This Week Fence Installation And Tree Relocations To Prepare For Upcoming Hospital Construction

Children's Hospital is working on the following construction projects this week:

Building Care Construction Fence Going Up This Month

Construction crews will begin fencing off the Building Care construction site the morning of Monday, Dec. 3. The construction site will include most of the area between the hospital, 40th Avenue NE and Sand Point Way NE (as shown in the graphic below).

Crews will begin by blocking key points within the hospital campus and will then install fencing along the entire perimeter of the construction site. The site will remain fenced for approximately three years until the building is complete. All hospital programs and services will remain open throughout construction. Use the driveway on 40th Avenue NE to access the Emergency Department; otherwise, use Penny Drive to access the hospital campus.

The fencing will be installed from Dec. 3 to Dec. 17. Black mesh screening will be installed on the fence from Dec. 18 to Dec. 26. The fencing work will generate minimal noise but will be visible to neighbors. 

Tree Relocations Via Crane at Hospital on Thursday
Two large trees at the hospital campus will be relocated and replanted on Thursday to make way for Building Care construction. The trees will be hoisted from their current locations and placed in their new locations, near the corner of Sand Point Way NE and 40th Avenue NE, using a crane. 

For questions, call 206-987-8000 or email construction@seattlechildrens.org.

Children's Hospital Fall Classes Offered

A reader sent us information on the interesting classes offered by the hospital in the upcoming months.

Subscribing to their monthly Good Growing Newsletter will bring the monthly offerings right to your Inbox. You can sign up here.

Infant classes such as Infant CPR, Babysafe, Car Seat Class and several others are scheduled.

And several babysitting classes are offered for teens. A very popular class is Better Babysitting. There are a couple of Special Needs classes.

Check out all the classes offered here.

The hospital says about their Good Growing Newsletter, "(S)ix times a year (January, March, May, July, September and November), subscribers will receive the latest health information tailored to the ages of their children, and any special interest areas they select."

Hearing examiner recommends against Seattle Children's hospital expansion

This from the Seattle P-I yesterday:

Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Last updated 1:34 p.m. PT

Hearing examiner recommends against Seattle Children's hospital expansion
Hospital says it might move out of town

By SCOTT SUNDE
SEATTLEPI.COM

A city hearing examiner has recommended against an expansion at Seattle Children's hospital, dealing a blow to its plans for a significantly expanded medical center.
Children's, which called the recommendation "just plan wrong," said it might have to move its hospital and downtown research campus outside Seattle if it can't get approval for the expansion.

Sue Tanner, the hearing examiner, made her recommendation this week to the City Council, which has the final say on the plans. Among other things, she mentioned traffic impacts and that the project isn't in an urban village.

The Laurelhurst Community Club near the hospital has opposed the size of the expansion.

"Our position and rationale for expansion has not changed," Dr. Tom Hansen, Children's CEO said on the hospital's Web site.

" We feel we have gone above and beyond what is required in meeting neighborhood concerns and addressing both traffic and housing impacts. From a legal standpoint, we do not believe the city's code is in conflict with our expansion plan. The pressing need for beds remains as we continue to face high census rates in the hospital. If we are unable to proceed in timely manner, this jeopardizes our ability to care for children in Seattle and our region. It is our responsibility to consider all options, including relocation of our hospital outside the city of Seattle."

In a release, Hansen called Tanner's decision "just plain wrong" and said the hospital will appeal to the City Council.

"We are confident that the City Council will recognize the strength of our proposal and approve it."

City planners endorsed the expansion earlier this summer as Tanner planned a public hearing on the project.

Children's wants as many as 600 beds, up from 250 now, and 2.4 million square feet of building space, up from about 900,000. The tallest tower would still be 160 feet high, up from 80 feet now, but would be about as tall as existing buildings because it would go downhill on neighboring land now home to the 136-unit Laurelon Terrace condominiums.

"Our position and rationale for expansion has not changed," Hansen said in the news release. "We feel we have gone above and beyond what is required in meeting neighborhood concerns and addressing both traffic and housing impacts. From a legal standpoint, we do not believe the City's code is in conflict with our expansion plan."

"We have tirelessly dedicated ourselves to minimizing the impact on our neighbors," he said. "We have significantly revised our master plan several times to address neighbors' concerns and to minimize future housing impacts and traffic congestion."