County slams Navy plan for hospital growth

County slams Navy plan for hospital growth
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jan 11, 2008 8:56:11 EST

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Montgomery County’s planning arm on Thursday called on the Navy to do a more thorough analysis of the impact of plans to significantly expand a military hospital in Bethesda, saying an earlier Navy draft was too vague and incomplete.

The Montgomery County Planning Board said the Navy needs better information about the new medical center, which will be a combination of the existing National Naval Medical Center and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Board members said the Navy’s draft environmental statement, released in November, did not have enough details about how big the facility will be, how it will impact traffic on the already congested roads around the base, and how it would affect the housing stock in the Bethesda area.

The board also said the Navy should consider using federal funds to help improve infrastructure around the new facility, including sidewalks and a pedestrian tunnel. It called on the Navy to create a community liaison to keep the area residents informed on the project.

About 435,000 people visit the base each year, and 8,000 people work there. The Navy report predicts an additional 484,000 people will come annually to the new medical center when it is completed.


Article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_montgomery_080111/