Council hears first reading of Winchester Medical Center master-plan changes amid traffic and proffer concerns

Winchester City Council held a first reading July 13 of a conditional amendment to the Winchester Medical Center master development plan that would allow a new medical office building, a surgery expansion and future parking garages on the hospital campus.

City planning staff and applicant representatives from Valley Engineering said the most recent plan revisions removed a previously proposed vehicular through-connection to Linden Drive and now limit any Linden access to loading and maintenance uses. The applicant also submitted proffers, including a formula-based contribution for off-site roadway improvements on Linden or Whittier avenues capped at a cumulative $250,000, and commitments for curb, gutter, sidewalk and a path connecting Linden frontage to the campus.

Planning staff described prior iterations of the plan and said the 2026 submission restores internal circulation and reduces risk of through-traffic onto neighborhood streets. Applicant representatives said early traffic assessments estimated roughly a 6% incremental campus-wide increase on Linden Drive under an earlier plan that included a connection; after revisions the connection was removed and projected impacts declined.

Several council members expressed continuing concern that the proffer language left Valley Health as the source of traffic-generation calculations and that the proposed $250,000 cap may understate long-term infrastructure needs. One councilor argued the city should require the hospital to reimburse the city for an independent traffic study or otherwise commit to covering full mitigation costs when campus growth leads to off-site impacts. Others praised changes that eliminate the direct connection to Linden Drive and noted curb-and-sidewalk improvements near the campus already underway.

Staff and applicant said both internal design changes and proffers were intended to reduce neighborhood impacts; staff advised council that more discussion and possible refinement of proffers and supporting data would continue before final action. Because this was a first reading, no final vote was taken.

Council asked staff and the applicant to work on clarified proffer language, independent verification of traffic impacts if needed, and clearer fiscal-impact documentation ahead of a second reading.