Children’s Specialists Requests Fee Waivers for Construction of Escondido Pediatric Center

Citing a funding shortage for the construction of a children's medical center, Children's Specialists on Monday requested that the city of Escondido waive development fees and fees for connecting to city water and sewer systems, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The proposed two-story, 48,800-square-foot medical center, which will be valued at nearly $4.2 million when completed, will include an urgent care center, a day surgery center and medical offices. Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler and City Council member Ed Gallo have recommended that the council grant the waivers because they say the center's considerable job creation potential "alone merit[s] the city's help," the Union-Tribune reports. City planners said that under the city's Business Enhancement Zone program, the construction project qualifies for fee waivers because it "would create high-paying jobs, significantly improve the area and raise property values," according to the Union-Tribune. The pediatric center will share a 6.8-acre plot of land with a veterinary clinic also under construction; the joint project seeks a waiver for the maximum amount allowed, about $38,000 (Chacon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4/21).