Little activity has been seen in the six months since the announcement in January that a medical school would be coming to Lebanon. Behind the scenes, however, progress has been made.

Larry Mullins, president and CEO of Samaritan Health Services, City Administrator John Hitt, and Jeff Tashman, a specialist in urban renewal districts, updated the community at a June 3 public meeting on plans for the medical campus. The meeting was primarily advertised to neighbors in the area but drew a crowd of about 40 hospital and city officials, developers and engineers, and curious citizens.

Planning will continue through 2008, with dirt moving in 2009.

"We think the campus will be a real economic boost to the community, with significant job opportunities," Mullins said. "It is really a transforming event as well as an educational event."

Mullins said he has received many inquiries from business, educational and medical organizations who may want to be involved. In addition to Western University of Health Sciences (WUHS), which has committed to locating a medical school at the site, Western Oregon University (WOU), Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC) and Legacy Health System have expressed interest.

Officials from WUHS, based in Pomona, Calif., participated in the January announcement. The university's goal is to begin operations in 2011 and graduate 100 physicians a year. The school already has third year medical students taking clinical rotations in the Samaritan Health system.

The roles of WOU and Legacy were not defined.

LBCC now has 900 students a year in the Samaritan Health system, many in classes at the Health Careers Training Center at the Lebanon hospital. Exactly what programs it will have on the campus has not yet been decided.

The proposed layout of the campus has changed and may change again as planning continues. At the present time, education buildings will be at the south end of the 55.5-acre campus, with retail and office buildings towards the north end. Mullins said he expects retail stores will be campus-oriented - coffee shops, a bookstore, etc. - though shops not like any others in Lebanon may locate there too.

A 400-seat conference center that would be used by all of the educational institutions on the campus and also be available for community use is the centerpiece and is expected to be the first building erected. The Lebanon Community Hospital Foundation has committed to raising at least $2 million for the $6 million to $8 million structure. Foundation President Bill Rauch presented a check for $350,000 at the January announcement.

A hotel complex is planned near the conference center.

The campus will have a healing garden similar to the one at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital, as well as a large grassy open area near educational buildings and other landscaping.

A skybridge will connect the campus to SLCH. It probably will be one of the last structures completed, Mullins said.

A housing component was talked about early on, but more recent thinking is that retail buildings may have condos or apartments above retail shops, with more housing nearby, but not on the campus, he said. The space for housing is shrinking as the number of college partners increases. Earlier discussions including a senior adult living complex, but that is not planned at this time.

"This is a work in progress," Mullins said.

Over the next several months, partners in the project will define who's responsible for what part of the development, he said.

Financing is not all from Samaritan Health Services. It will support the education portion of the campus and private developers will fund the hotel, offices, and retail, Mullins said.

City receives development application

The city of Lebanon on Monday received a preliminary planned development application for a mixed use development involving about 52.6 acres at the southwest corner of Highway 20 and Reeves Parkway.

The name of the planned development is Lebanon Healthcare Campus.

Proposed uses include retail, office, medical research, college campus, event conference center and hotel.

The city staff has 30 days from June 9 to deem the application complete. Once deemed complete, the proposal will be scheduled for public hearing.