Valparaíso begins environmental assessment to enable the expansion of the Van Buren Hospital

The Municipality of Valparaíso has initiated the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedure to modify the Communal Regulatory Plan and provide regulatory viability for the normalization of the Carlos Van Buren Hospital (HCVB) and the construction of its dependent Diagnostic and Therapeutic Center (CDT). The extract was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,573, on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Section IV, pages 1 to 4, under official reference CVE 2884824. The act is based on mayoral decree No. 3,858, dated September 22, 2026, and Article 16 of the Regulations for the application of the SEA of Law 19,300 on General Bases of the Environment.

The deficit motivating the modification

Sectoral background provided by the Valparaíso-San Antonio Health Service, contained in Technical Report No. 02/2026, evidences a deficit of 163 hospital beds relative to the required standard: 600 beds needed versus 437 current. Added to this is a coverage of only 50% of the projected demand for surgical interventions by the year 2040 and a specialty medical consultation rate well below the ministerial goal.

The building that currently houses the HCVB dates back to 1981 and its design standards are outdated. The analysis of location alternatives was developed during 2023-2024 and concluded that the most viable option is to keep the hospital in its current location, complemented by adjacent plots. The modification seeks to strengthen high-complexity care and the coverage of outpatient services for a population projected for the year 2040 of 590,000 inhabitants.

What changes in the urban regulation

The amendment consists of increasing the maximum permitted building height in the sector, from the current 15 meters to an approximate maximum of 40 meters (equivalent to 8 floors), which exceeds the variation margins allowed for an amendment according to article 2.1.13 letters a) and b) of the OGUC and article 29 letter d) No. VI and VII of the SEA Regulations, constituting a substantial modification. In general terms, it contemplates:

• Increase in the maximum building height from 15 to an approximate maximum of 40 meters.
• Reduction of the land occupation coefficient to ensure ventilation and lighting conditions consistent with hospital infrastructure.
• Definition of a constructability coefficient for the sector, which is currently non-existent in the current regulations.
• Evaluation of the road categorization of the streets facing the properties under study, in coherence with the scale of the projected equipment.
• Review of the slope restrictions associated with moving viewpoints, regarding private elements within the hospital property.

Affected properties and citizen participation

The area of regulatory application comprises the property Appraisal Rol No. 209-3, where the Carlos Van Buren Hospital is currently located, and the adjacent properties Rol No. 5001-1, 5001-2, and 5001-3, destined for the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Center, all in the Almendral sector, within the Almendral-Victoria Historical Conservation Zone (ZCH ALV). The adjustment of the urban parameters is limited to this polygon, without altering the current urban limit. The current instrument is the Communal Regulatory Plan of 1984, currently undergoing a general update process.

In accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the Regulations for the EAE, approved by supreme decree No. 32 of 2015 of the Ministry of the Environment, the background information will be available for a period of at least 30 days from the publication of the extract. Additionally, for 30 business days, any natural or legal person may provide background information and make observations to the process. The enabled channels are:

• Website www.munivalpo.cl/prcvanburen.
• Printed form at the Registry Office of the Illustrious Municipality of Valparaíso, Salvador Donoso No. 1492, Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 14:00 hours.
• Email prcvanburen@munivalpo.cl, exclusively for inquiries and doubts, not for the submission of background information or observations.

Submissions via the Registry Office must be addressed to the Mayor of Valparaíso. The extract was signed by Mariella Valdés Ávila, Municipal Secretary.

Impact for the region

The decision formally opens the regulatory path to alleviate one of the main health gaps in the Valparaíso Region: without the adjustment of height and land occupation, neither the normalization of the HCVB nor the new CDT could materialize in their current location. The process also subjects the project to environmental and heritage scrutiny, given that the polygon is inserted into a historical conservation zone, and sets a limited timeframe for citizens to provide background information and observations.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,573, Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Section IV, pp. 1-4 (official reference: CVE 2884824).