Politics & Government

Planning Commissioners To Deliberate on Advocate Christ's Plans for New Patient Tower

Medical center has nine petitions before Oak Lawn Planning and Development Commission for a 9-story patient tower. If you've never gone to a meeting at Village Hall, you might want to catch Monday's public hearing.

Oak Lawn’s Planning and Development Commission will deliberate on a proposed 9-story patient tower on the during its regular monthly meeting tonight (Monday) at Oak Lawn Village Hall.

Advocate Christ has submitted nine petitions for a 9-story building to built at 4440 W. 95th St. The medical center wants to build the tower on the site of an existing parking garage on the east side of the hospital along Kostner Avenue.

The medical center’s six-phase expansion over the next decade is the “largest construction project” in Oak Lawn’s history and is part of a $600 million investment in the community. The proposed patient tower is in addition to the that is currently under contruction.

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“What we do today will affect our community for the next 50 years,” Trustee Tom Duhig said, whose 4th district encompasses the hospital. “This touches us all and I want to make sure that get it right the first time.”

The medical center is asking the village for a zoning variation to build the proposed patient tower in an area that is currently zoned for residential use.

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Plans also call for a new parking structure to be built across 95th Street that would connect to the main medical campus by a pedestrian bridge. The other petitions include height, setback and easement variations related to the patient  tower. Advocate also wants to widen Kostner Avenue.

Following Monday’s public hearing, plan commissioners can opt to take action and vote on the petitions, or table them until their next meeting. Some commissioners have shared that they’d like to see the petitions get tabled, expressing concern that there hasn’t been enough “due diligence.”

“[The medical center expansion] will impact the village more than any other project,” Steve Radice said, chair of the Planning and Development Commission. “We want to go through it with a fine tooth comb. Rather than flatly deny or approve the petitions is not doing due diligence. It’s not fair to the village. We don’t know enough about the impact on traffic, sewage or water.”

Such unforeseen consquences on the village infrastructure would be footed by taxpaying residents since the medical center does not pay property taxes because of its non-profit status.

Items unanimously approved by plan commissioners will go before the Oak Lawn Village Board for a final vote at the board’s next meeting on May 22. Any petition not receiving the commissioners' unanimous approval will be forwarded to the mayor and trustees for discussion and a final vote at the June 12 village board meeting.

The medical center needs the village’s blessing by the end of the month to meet its tight construction deadlines. Advocate Christ would like to open the patient tower in Spring 2015.

The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board is scheduled to vote on the medical center’s proposed patient tower next month provided that the medical center get the needed zoning variations.

Should Advocate Christ miss its end-of-the-month deadline, the state review board isn’t schedule to meet again until October.

The Oak Lawn Planning and Development Commission meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 7, at Village Hall, 9466 S. Raymond Ave. The meeting is open to the public and residents are strongly encouraged to attend.


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