Bassett Hospital's long-awaited draft scoping document for its parking proposal came as quite a shock to the planning board and others who read it prior to Tuesday's meeting.

It appeared the hospital had reversed itself and decided to construct a three-level parking garage on Mill Street, despite previous statements about the unsuitability of the soil and prohibitive cost.

In a description of the three locations where parking would be developed, the scoping document stated, "On approximately 2.98 acres of asphalt parking lot adjacent to the hospital campus on Mill Street, Bassett Healthcare proposes to construct a 500-space three-level parking structure whose top level will be below the top of the hill on which the hospital is located."

The scoping document also describes a proposed surface lot and three-level parking structure with two levels below grade behind Bassett Hall off Riverside Drive.

After reading the statement, planning board members believed the hospital intended to construct parking structures that had not been part of the original site plan application.

Planning board chairman Paul Kuhn told hospital vice-president Joe Middleton that the inclusion of parking structures "will take us back a couple of steps."

Kuhn was referring to the fact that because the structures were not part of the original plan, the hospital would have to submit a revised site plan application and another long environmental assessment form would have to completed for the project.

The first environmental assessment of the proposed project resulted in a positive declaration and triggered the completion of a draft environmental impact statement. The draft scoping document submitted by Bassett, is one of the first steps in the draft environmental impact statement process.

But to the surprise of the planning board, Middleton said the hospital had no intention of building a parking structure.

Middleton said they were included in the draft scoping document in response to a request from the planning board.

"At the scoping meeting, the village asked us to look at the environmental impact of a parking structure. We agreed to look at it. It is not our intent to build either of them," he said.

Although the confusion over what is now the first draft of the draft scoping document was cleared up, it still means the hospital will have to go back and make revisions.

Kuhn told Middleton that the hospital would have to rewrite the scoping document so that it was clear what the hospital was proposing for a solution to its unmet parking requirements.

Middleton said the document would be revised and ready for the planning board's next meeting in July. The review of the second draft is unlikely to begin at that meeting.

Kuhn also told Middleton that the planning board wanted Bassett to look at the possbility of relocating some operations and staff to an off-campus site as means of reducing the demand for parking.

"That's not an environmental issue," Middleton said.

"It's something we asked you to address," Kuhn replied.

The remainder of the scoping document discusses what potentially significant adverse impacts the parking proposal may have that will be addressed in the draft environmental impact statement.

The impacts include: transportation and parking, water resources, air resources, ecology, community services, visual resources, historic and archeological resources, noise, and land use and zoning.

According to the scoping document, the draft environmental impact study will also address alternatives to the proposed parking plan.

Before the draft scoping document becomes the final scoping document, the public will have an opportunity to comment on it.

Copies of the most current draft of the draft scoping document may be obtained from the village clerk's office.