I am excited about a proposal for an in-town hospital. The location is a commercially zoned parcel near the intersection of Shea and Saguaro. This is a critical need for our town. We have an in-town police force operating 24/7, that responds in minutes. We have an in-town fire department operating 24/7, that responds in minutes. We have these services here because they can literally save lives.

But when we have a need for emergency medical care, we have a hospital and emergency room available…15 miles away! Our citizens and visitors deserve better than that. This is a quality of life issue. If we need to slightly modify zoning designations to accomplish that, we must move forward to do it. No delaying, no excuses.

Last Thursday, the Planning and Zoning Commission had a hearing on the proposal. The good news is that it was very well attended by residents. The better news is that the discussion seems to have led to a potential zoning solution to the proposed hospital/emergency room that seemed to satisfy most everyone.

I urge all citizens to speak out in support of the facility by email, by calling your council member or by attending the next hearing. Town staff, I am hopeful, will do their magic and codify the zoning language that will allow this critical town need to happen.