Naked City

After months of community resistance to Seton Healthcare Network's proposal to take possession of the city-owned Children's Hospital, the health care giant now appears to be enjoying a smooth ride toward realizing its goal.

The City Council today (Thursday) will consider a zoning change that would enable Seton to build a new Children's Hospital on the northwest corner (near I-35 and 51st Street) of the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport site. The city Planning Commission signed off last week on the same proposed zoning change, from aviation services (AZ) to planned unit development, or PUD.

At the same time, a zoning request is also on the council agenda for Seton-owned property on Parmer Lane -- the site it had originally announced for a new Children's Hospital to replace the overcrowded facility adjacent to Brackenridge, which is also owned by the city and managed by Seton. Controversy over that "Pflugerville North" site led the city to instigate the deal for a Mueller location to keep Children's in Central Austin.

Mark Hazelwood, Seton's interim vice-president of communications, said Seton officials might ask the city to postpone action on the Parmer site because the Mueller property is the hospital's No. 1 priority. Hazelwood said Seton does not plan to keep the Parmer land: "We have for some time been looking for buyers for the Parmer property."

Health care advocates had initially protested Austin's losing community ownership of Children's, but that opposition has quieted somewhat, perhaps in deference to local pediatricians who strongly favor a new and expanded hospital. Seton has relied on those doctors to sell the proposal to the community; skeptics find it harder to counter arguments from respected leaders of the medical community than from the corporate heads at Seton and its parent company, Ascension Health. The city and Seton are still negotiating other aspects of the proposed package, which includes property acquisition and amendments to the existing lease agreement. Final approval of the whole Seton deal is set for the June 12 City Council meeting -- the last for outgoing Mayor Gus Garcia and the beginning of a monthlong City Hall break.