With Snoqualmie Valley Hospital’s proposed new campus in the balance, Valley residents get several opportunities to weigh in on proposed King County Comprehensive Plan changes that affect the local hospital district.

The first public hearing on the county plan update is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20, at the Snoqualmie Middle School Commons, 9200 Railroad Avenue S.E. An open house will be held at 6 p.m. prior to the meeting.

Public comment is being taken by the King County Council’s Growth Management and Natural Resources Committee, which will make its recommendation on the comprehensive plan update to the King County Council by August 5.

Contested plan

The update affects how the King County Council would allow the 70-acre future campus of Snoqualmie Valley Hospital into the City of Snoqualmie’s Urban Growth Area. The county’s Department of Development and and Environmental Services (DDES) has recommended that the hospital district conserve four acres for each acre it plans to develop in its campus, which could include a senior assisted living center, Bellevue Community College branch camps and hotel or motel lodging along with a hospital.