Seattle Children's hospital has had to turn away 79 children in the past year because it did not have beds for them. For more than two years, the hospital has been making the case for its expansion from 250 to 600 beds and revised it to answer concerns. Now the City Council should expedite an appeal of a hearing examiner's recommendation to deny the expansion.

By any measure, Seattle Children's hospital is a regional treasure.To its young patients who hail mostly from five states, it is a cheerful place for healing with its giraffe statues, overhead trains and staff members dedicated to their treatment. To their parents, it is the resource and sometimes the maker of miracles. To our city, it is a premier employer and innovative corporate citizen.

But the growing demand for Children's services has put it on a collision course with its existing facility's limitations. In the past year, 79 children have had to be diverted to other hospitals.

The Seattle City Council must expedite its consideration of an appeal of a city hearing examiner's recommendation to deny Children's plans to expand from its current 250 beds to 600 by 2030. Earlier, the Citizen's Advisory Committee and the city Department of Planning and Development recommended approval.

The hospital has tried to make do, moving its research offices downtown, moving administrative offices off campus and opening satellite clinics to reduce traffic to its Sand Point Way headquarters.

Through the exhaustive permit-application process, Children's revised its plans, including reducing heights, to accommodate concerns of the neighbors.

The examiner made a clerical error, which delayed the start of the council's quasi-judicial consideration of the appeal. At the very least, the council should bring more certainty by acting as soon as possible to set a schedule and process for consideration of the appeal.

A decision is urgent — just ask the families of the 79 children who were turned away and the many more who will be.