ROCK SPRINGS – During the latest Rock Springs Planning and Zoning Meeting, a zoning language amendment that would create a parking standard for hospital uses was discussed.

The zoning amendment was submitted by a Kansas company named Nueterra which specializes in health care projects. They most recently partnered with a Miami Children’s Hospital.

Nueterra was represented at the meeting by Marasco and Associates from Denver, a firm that has been involved in medical projects in almost every state in the nation.

Their Wyoming based projects include Yellowstone Regional Surgery Center and the Northern Wyoming Medical and Surgical Group in Cody, as well as Sheridan Memorial Hospital.

SweetwaterNOW reached out to both Nueterra and Marasco and Associates for interviews about their projects in Sweetwater County, but messages were not returned.

Sources who asked not to be identified, and claiming to be very familiar with the projects, told SweetwaterNOW that the venture has several parts to it, including an assisted living facility and a ‘for profit’ hospital similar to those being discussed in Casper and Jackson.

Physicians who had office space at the Hilltop Offices near the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County campus were told by the owners several months ago that they would need to leave the property. The change makes the property a likely candidate for development.

Many of these professionals were able to find a home in the new Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County Medical Office Building, but several are still looking for office space around Rock Springs.

During the planning and zoning meeting, the Hilltop property and the assisted living nursing home were talked about several times.

At one point, Board Member Kent Porenta said if the project was going to be across the street from the hospital, parking requirements could be counted together and a shuttle bus might be used.

Staff were very critical of that idea.

Sources said the assisted living project and for profit hospital are separate projects from each other. They also do not have any link to MHSC.

Until the design plans start, as part of the Rock Springs Planning and Zoning process, exact facts will not be known unless developers release them.

Zoning discussion

Rock Springs City Planner Jennifer Shields explained that when they went through the city ordinances on hospital parking requirements, they were unable to find any specific to hospital uses.

In the past, medical parking spaces were determined by how many beds, staff and visitors the facility had.

Shields said the city does not want to use those equations to figure out parking requirements, but would rather go by the building’s square footage.

Shields also voiced concern about moving on the parking regulations because it could hamper future expansion at MHSC due to land issues. She added that if they did go forward and set a number, MHSC could always ask for an exemption to the ordinance such as Sweetwater County School District No. 1 did with Rock Springs Junior High parking requirements.

George Lemich, legal advisor for MHSC, said before moving forward with this request, the city should sit down and come up with set definitions. He said even if they set some parking number it will still not take the problem away. Lemich added it is very likely the hospital will expand and it could hamper future development at MHSC.

Porenta asked the hospital if it would hamper their construction to table this. Chief Executive Officer Jerry Klein said it wouldn’t because they are currently building to what the city said was standard at 5 spaces for every 1,000 sq. feet.

Shields agreed work needed to be done on the definitions, but added there are developers waiting to move forward. Margie Smith, who was also in the crowd, spoke out against tabling it, saying developers are waiting to start work.

While applicant Brian Shearer of Marasco suggested a number like 3 spaces per 1,000 sq. ft., Shields said she would like to see it lower at 1.5 to 2 spaces per 1,000 sq. ft.

The board voted to set the number of required spaces at 1.5 per 1,000 sq. ft.

This will now go to the Rock Springs City Council for final approval.