Discussion starts for Children's Memorial Hospital redevelopment

A town hall meeting was held Sept. 14 at Children's Memorial Hospital (CMH) to discuss the plans to replace the institution. About 100 attendees comprised of business owners and local residents gathered in the Bigler Auditorium.

CMH will close its doors in Lincoln Park on June 9, 2012 and officially relocate to its new facility in Streeterville.

CMH has approximately 4,300 employees and 700 patients every day. Annually, 265,000 patients are treated at the hospital. Last year, there were 8,000 children treated at CMH from the 60614 area code alone.

"Once the hospital closes, the neighborhood will not have an emergency room or urgent care clinic specifically for children," said Mary Kate Daly, director of New Hospital Communications for Children's Memorial Hospital.

During peak hours, 30 percent of the traffic in the area is generated by the hospital. The parking garage on site accommodates 1,300 cars every day.

According to Daly, once the hospital relocates, the estimated loss of revenue to the neighborhood will be somewhere between $9.3 and $34.1 million. At the meeting, gasps could be heard through the room as people comprehended these figures.

Chris Ramsey, owner of Lincoln Park Massage Spa, says she has partnered with the hospital over the years by donating gift certificates to various fundraisers, which has helped her establish business credibility in the neighborhood. She estimates a seven percent gross revenue loss as a result of the relocation of the hospital.

Lauren Glatthorn, a representative of Qdoba Mexican Grill, estimates their sales will drop by 50 percent upon the hospital's relocation. She says they will not survive unless the redevelopment brings people back into the area.

McCaffery Interests and Antunovich Associates have been selected to lead the redevelopment of the six-acre site. In a neighborhood that has often been conflicted when it comes to the redevelopment of key spaces, Alderman Michele Smith (43rd ward) promises that these efforts will be "transparent and data-driven."

Dan McCaffery, chairman and CEO of McCaffery Interests, and Joe Antunovich, head of the architectural firm Antunovich and Associates, have been fixtures in guiding the DePaul master plan since the 1980's. McCaffery explained that the two of them have worked successfully together to redevelop struggling areas across the country. Almost all of the examples included retail space with residences above.

Sam Sanchez, owner of John Barleycorn Bar, which has been a neighborhood fixture since the 1950's, expressed his concern that McCaffery will add more retail space to an area that is already plagued with vacant storefronts. He said that he drove around a few blocks surrounding the hospital before the meeting and spotted 32 vacant storefronts.

Sanchez estimates that his business will lose $40,000 each month following the hospital's closure.

Sanchez believes the neighborhood would benefit from having a hotel included in the redevelopment. "It will give DePaul student's families somewhere close to campus to stay when they visit."

"Hotels are doing horribly," said McCaffery. "We'll have to ask hotels to see if there is interest. I'm hopeful that we can consider and attract a hotel."

Ashley Tsoumas, a DePaul student and local resident thinks the proposal of creating a town center with restaurants and a movie theater would be "a positive use of space in this prime Lincoln Park location."

"It's just a few blocks away from campus and it sounds like there will be a plethora of businesses cropping up here, which may mean more jobs for Chicago residents and DePaul students," she said.

Representatives of the Children's Memorial Redevelopment Coalition stated that their biggest concern is that the redevelopment plan includes affordable housing. Ald. Smith agreed that this is a priority of hers as well. McCaffery noted that senior housing is also a possibility.

The town meeting can be viewed on YouTube and at Ald. Smith's website.