Plans For CNU's Medical complex proposal
California Northstate University, a for-profit medical college, is attempting to build a massive medical complex in the residential neighborhood of "Stonelake", which backs up to Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in West Elk Grove.
Public documents reveal previously undisclosed plans by Elk Grove city officials and California Northstate University (CNU) to develop a “biodistrict”, including a wet lab, in the residential community of Stonelake, which is adjacent to the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in West Elk Grove. CNU submitted to the City a detailed proposal, including a request for rezoning and a Conditional Use Permit, which would allow for the development of a biodistrict.Though the ability to finance the project has yet to be proven, the new plans now include:
- 12-story hospital with a helistop and a penthouse
- additional 7-story patient tower which would increase the bed count from 250 to 400
- 29,300 sq. ft. central plant
- 3 parking structures, two of which would be four stories in height and one of which would include basketball, tennis and volleyball courts for student use on the roof level, nearest to homes in the Stonelake community
- 4-story out-patient clinic
- 5-story medical office building
- 5-story dormatory to house 300 students with only 150 parking spaces allotted for them.
Additionally, CNU representatives have confirmed their purchase of two nearby parcels off Maritime Drive. They claim they have no plans for how to use that property.
To review all submissions made by CNU to the City of Elk Grove, click on the "Documents/Visuals" section on the City's website here: http://www.elkgrovecity.org/city_hall/departments_divisions/planning/current_development_projects/california_northstate_university_hospital
CNU seeks to shoehorn a new biodistrict into an area surrounded by residences and a wildlife refuge.
The Backstory of the CNU Controversy
CNU quietly bought several acres of land where a commercial retail center, Stonelake Landing, currently resides. It was purchased from Ethan Conrad for a reported $12.65M. No advanced warning was given to residents near or tenants of the proposed location prior to a press conference on December 20, 2018, which was hosted by city leaders and CNU. Even then, tenants who would be displaced were not contacted. In fact, several of them, including Dreaming Dog Brewery, Razor Sharp Kutz and Stonelake Vine & Spirits were themselves forced to reach out to the in-house attorney for CNU, Paul Wagstaffe, to get information on the matter. They still have no solid answers and are in fear of losing their small businesses. A large number of the residents in Stonelake are upset about this project and feel blindsided, as well.
Though city and county leaders insist this is a brand new development plan and that they haven't known about it for very long, CNU initially proudly proclaimed they would fast track the process and hoped to break ground at the end of 2019, indicating otherwise. There are already surveyors painting lines in the parking lot of the retail center and soil testing has been taking place since mid-January. Mayor Steve Ly championed this project as one of his campaign promises coming to fruition, yet he neglected to mention anything about the proposed plan and its location at any time during the most recent mayoral race. Quite possibly, he didn't want to create controversy before he was sworn into office. The same is suspected of other city leaders.
Several Stonelake residents and small-business owners have attended City Council and Planning Commission meetings in recent weeks. Though the subject of the hospital was not on the agenda for these meetings, it was the main focus of the public comment portion of them. (See “Media” page here.)
At the first such meeting, Mr. Alvin Cheung (CEO and President of CNU) was the first to speak, talking of how he was making great efforts to reach out to the community. He claimed he would hold a community outreach event and would invite "neighborhood leaders" to encourage discussion on January 15. However, when questioned for details, Mr. Cheung could not provide a specific time or place for this meeting, nor could he explain who these "neighborhood leaders" would be. He then left the meeting, leaving his lawyer and other staff behind.
Shortly after Mr. Cheung's presentation, there were several residents who took to the podium in opposition to this hospital project. They spoke with passion, conviction and emotion as they expressed their specific concerns. One owner of Dreaming Dog Brewery also made a passionate and scolding presentation to the council members. The final speaker was a gentleman who doesn't even live near the Stonelake neighborhood but was fired up about how our community was being mistreated and betrayed. He told the council that "this is going to be a fight", that they need to decide which side they were going to be on and that they need to realize that the community "owns their seats".
Just days before the alleged community outreach meeting, there was still no word of when or where it would take place. Former mayor, Gary Davis, who has recently been hired by CNU to facilitate community outreach, later informed residents that the community meeting proposed by Mr. Cheung had been changed to a “private meeting” consisting of community “leaders”, who were specifically chosen by CNU to attend, and a handful of residents who managed to get an invitation. Once again, the citizens were left to wonder what was taking place.