Hospital Development Still Frustrates Neighbors as Vote Nears

Plans to start construction at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center are quickly approaching, but Lake View neighbors surrounding the massive hospital complex are still frustrated with lack of progress with their demands.

The hospital, which centers around 836 W. Wellington Ave., is planning a massive addition with a groundbreaking ceremony slated for sometime in February of 2013. Advocate officials have been working with the Central Lake View Neighbors association to address community concerns, but progress has been bumpy.

Sticking points like parking options, idling ambulances and delivery trucks making certain sidewalks unsafe for pedestrians are just a few of the main concerns on the residents’ long list of issues. And with a neighborhood vote scheduled for Oct. 22, some residents say things better change, and quick.

“I can’t imagine that Advocate would be so stupid as to not have something in their contract that you can’t break if something (like delivery truck size) is unsafe,” said Allan Zenoff, the treasurer at CLVN. “Now, I’ve heard of this stuff going on for three or four months about the trucks and private ambulances, and I have pictures taken that shows you continuously ignore what’s going on in our neighborhood.

“And I can tell you I think it’s – horrible that you continue to allow this to happen,” Zenoff continued, speaking to Advocate representatives. “You haven’t done a damn thing, and I think you should.”

"You don’t live here Mr. Gilbert. All of us live here. Don’t disparage us by saying you are a part of this community. You are not.”

The problems surround Phase I of the plan to construct the Center for Advanced Care, Advocate’s new outpatient complex that essentially removes West Nelson Street between North Halsted and Sheffield Avenue to create a hospital campus. Treatment centers like cancer care and digestive health will relocate to the new $109 million, 156,000-square-foot building, with plans for Phase II’s much larger addition coming sometime after.

Jack Gilbert, the vice president of finance and support services at Advocate, has been working with CLVN members for months, and he says his team has addressed a majority of the neighborhood concerns. From building size to quiet zones, the two groups have a community agreement to keep everyone happy.

“We’re working on an amendment to the community agreement that really works on what’s been revised and what’s new after working on it for several months,” Gilbert said. “It incorporates a revision to the center. It’s much smaller than the original designs… And then we’re working to collaborate with the neighborhood on issues and questions that came up.”

Neighbors in Central Lake View were supposed to vote on the development during Thursday night’s meeting, but Gilbert presented changes to the project’s plans on important problems like parking and machinery placement. That forced the neighborhood organization’s officials to reevaluate the plan and come up with an official recommendation for voters.

They plan to release details of their recommendation to neighbors later this week.

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But Advocate’s promise to work on key issues wasn’t enough for some. Feeling ignored, one resident says he’ll resort to anything necessary to make the neighborhood safe again.

“I’m going to tell you what I’m going to do, and I encourage everyone here to do the same,” said local Mehul Shah, who lives on Wellington where a majority of the issues seem to center. “I’m going to call 911. You leave us no option. We are going to call 911 on you whenever we see a violation… You don’t live here Mr. Gilbert. All of us live here. Don’t disparage us by saying you are a part of this community. You are not.”

Gilbert says he plans to work with Advocate to continue to address issues like semi trucks blocking pedestrian traffic and medical waste spilling into residents’ yards, an issue officials say they have a “zero tolerance” stance on.

More information on details of Phase I of construction can be found on Advocate’s website, and CLVN plans to issue a statement so voters are informed before the Oct. 22 meeting.

The special meeting for voters will be held at Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital in the Olsen Auditorium at 7 p.m.