NEWPORT BEACH : Hearing Is Tonight on Hospital Plan

The City Council will hold a special public hearing tonight to discuss a controversial plan for expanding Hoag Hospital.

The hearing was scheduled to allow city officials to hear the concerns of residents for and against the project without cutting into regular City Council meeting time. The council is not expected to take any action on the hospital plan tonight.

The council is expected to receive testimony from residents and environmental groups who have proposed alternatives to the hospital’s master plan proposal. Also, it may hear from residents who are members of Hoag 2010, a community group supporting the hospital’s plans.

The master plan, a divisive issue in the community in recent months, would double the size of the hospital. It would add a row of two- to four-story buildings along Coast Highway, along with a new critical-care center and the remodeling of some existing facilities.

The hospital says the additions are needed to keep the facility on the cutting edge of nonprofit health care, but some are concerned about the size and mass of the new structures and have recommended changes in the hospital’s development scheme.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. in the City Council chambers.