County Sues UCI Medical Center Over Access Road

The County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to sue UCI Medical Center over an access road that both sides consider essential to their plans for more than $200 million in expanded facilities in Orange.

The road, known as Dawn Road or The City Way, separates county facilities--including the Juvenile Justice Center, the Orangewood Children’s Home and the Theo Lacy Branch Jail--from the medical center. All are east of The City shopping mall in an area known as the Manchester Complex.

The road is owned by the county, which alleges that a six-level parking garage that the medical center is about to begin building will “adversely affect traffic levels” on The City Way.

But county officials said they have offered to allow the medical center increased use of the road if the county is adequately compensated.

“Our issue is to compensate us for the loss of control of our property,” said R.A. Scott, director of the county’s General Services Agency. “It’s similar to me building my garage, and my garage opens onto your lawn.”

But a spokeswoman for the medical center said Tuesday that compensation is not warranted because the hospital’s longtime use of the road has given it a legal right of access.

“It’s one of only two accesses to the medical center, and we can’t risk that being taken away,” UCI spokeswoman Elaine Beno said.

She said that the medical center intends to continue talks with the county, despite the litigation, and that “UCI believes there will be a resolution to this without going to court.”

The supervisors’ action came as a last-minute addition to its Wednesday meeting agenda, the last board meeting of the year. Scott told supervisors that the need for litigation became urgent on Monday when the medical center notified the county that it is still planning to begin building the garage later this month.

Supervisor Don R. Roth, who initiated the action at the board Wednesday, said he regrets “that I have to take this action to get their attention. I’m frustrated, because if any area needs total cooperation it’s that piece of the Manchester Complex.”

“We have two government agencies spending more than $200 million to expand their facilities,” said Dan Wooldridge, Roth’s aide, “and the level of coordination has been minimal.”

The county is preparing a $50-million project to expand the Lacy jail from 622 beds to 1,326 beds. It is also planning a new juvenile courthouse and two new multilevel parking garages at the site.

Beno said the medical center next year plans a $40-million expansion that will include a new cancer center, outpatient services facility, psychiatric hospital and diagnostic services center.