New hospital offer on the table

Previous meetings saw resident concerns about community protections, public access to the hospital and blockage of sky views on Davis Drive among other issues.

While the new facility will be paid for by private donors and guaranteed by Mills-Peninsula, a Sutter Health affiliate, it still must be approved by the district and in part by the city of Burlingame.

The Mills-Peninsula plan calls for an annual rent of $1 a year for six to eight years until the new facility is built, then $1.5 million annually after that.

Dan Andersen of Citizens for a Better Burlingame plans to submit a 19-point letter at the meeting disagreeing with the plan, in part because he believes the district-collected rent is too low. A more appropriate rent, he writes in the letter, "would be to ask for 1 percent of the gross revenue of the hospital."

Andersen also said the district's oversight role is too limited because there would be no district member on the Mills-Peninsula board to "ensure services and all other aspects of the hospital are in the best interest of the citizens." He notes that Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City has district members on its board.

District spokesman Adam Alberti said he had no expectations about Thursday night's meeting, but that construction timelines mean the deadline is fast approaching to complete the new hospital by 2013.

The Peninsula Health Care District board meeting will be held 7 p.m. Oct. 21 at San Mateo City Hall, 330 20th Ave.

Stephen Baxter can be reached by e-mail at stephen@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 109. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.