City May Take Edgewater Medical Center Bankruptcy Estate to Building Court

DNAinfo Chicago reporter Benjamin Woodard has written an interesting article, Edgewater Medical Center Buildings An ‘Immediate Danger,’ Neighbors Say, about City activity at the abandoned Edgewater Medical Center over the weekend.  According to his piece in today’s online publication when city inspectors visited the location–5700 N Ashland Ave.–on Sunday they found the site to be “dangerous” and concluded that the Edgewater Medical Center Bankruptcy Estate has failed “to keep the premise in a “safe condition so it does not constitute actual and imminent danger to public”.  In addition, apparently in response to their findings, Alderman Patrick O’Connor has stated the City is taking steps to bring the Edgewater Medical Center Bankruptcy Estate to building court for the violations.  This recent spate of activity resulted from renewed efforts by the West Edgewater Area Residents neighborhood association to once again call to the attention of the City the hazardous conditions of the site.

WBEZ’s Morning Shift Covers Edgewater Medical Center

Dexia’s site plan as presented by Waveland Partners on the 6th of Feb. 2013 for the redevelopment of the former Edgewater Medical Center in Chicago, IL (Andersonville/West Edgewater, 5700 N. Ashland Ave., 60660).

Last Wednesday WBEZ’s The Morning Shift concluded a three-part series examining the need for open/green space in the urban environment and how that need is impacting plans to redevelop the Edgewater Medical Center.

On Monday, Feb. 24th, Morning Shift host Tony Sarabia (@wbezsarabia) spoke with Gapers Block (@gapersblock) politics editor Monica Reida (@monicareida) about her article, The Saga of Edgewater Medical Center (earlier post).  Although the interview probably generates more questions than answers, here is a link to the audio of that 11-minute interview.

Then on Tuesday, Feb. 25th, The Morning Shift hosted Bob Dean, the Deputy Executive Director for Local Planning at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP).  Even at only 6-1/2 minutes it was an informative discussion. Tony Sarabia began the segment by referencing a recently published empirical study that finds that open/green space in the urban environment improves mental health (link to Smithsonian.com article about the study; link to actual study).  A little after 1-3/4 minutes into the interview the subject of the need for open/green space in the Andersonville/West Edgewater Community and how that need relates to the redevelopment of the Edgewater Medical Center came up.  In response to Tony Sarabia’s question, Bob Dean made two points.  First, “there is need for additional green space” in Andersonville/West Edgewater.  Second, that need for open/green space should be “balanced with the idea of bringing in active development, whether it is commercial or residential”.  The current proposal, which includes 39,867 sq. ft. (0.92 acres) of donated land for a genuine neighborhood park, addresses the Andersonville/West Edgewater need for open/green space and simultaneous brings in “active development” (here are two links to pieces about the current proposal: Dexia Makes New Offer and A Revised Proposal for the Edgewater Medical Center Site).  Here is the link to the audio of that interview.

Finally, on Wednesday, Feb. 26th, Alderman Patrick O’Connor (@40thWard) joined Tony Sarabia to continue the discussion from the previous two days.  With Alderman O’Connor providing specific details about the past, the present, and the future, their discussion was informative.  Answering a question about need for open/green space in the 40th Ward,  Alderman O’Connor spoke about the importance of differentiating between the open/green space need at the macro level in the 40th Ward and the open/green space need at the micro level in the 40th Ward. Prefacing his following statement that the City’s 2011 acquisition of 20+ acres in the Rosehill Cemetery for a park/nature preserve has done a lot to address the open/green space need at the macro level in the 40th Ward, he acknowledged the need for open/green space here, “in this particular part of the neighborhood [Andersonville/West Edgewater] there is not a tremendous amount of green space.”  Here is a link to the audio.

If WBEZ adds to the series, this article will be updated.  On a final note, thank you to WBEZ and The Morning Shift for producing this superb 3-part series–it was an informative pubic discussion about the issues impacting the redevelopment of the Edgewater Medical Center.  Chicago is fortunate to have a public radio station that has the ability to produce quality local reporting.  In addition, a sincere thanks to the series’s participants–Monica Reida, Bob Dean, and Alderman Patrick O’Connor–for making themselves available for the series.

Compilation Piece About Edgewater Medical Center History and Redevelopment

Gapers Block contributor Monica Reida (@monicareida) has written an article, ‘The Saga of Edgewater Medical Center,’ that pulls together a lot of information about the the history of the Edgewater Medical Center and the eventual redevelopment of the site.  Among others Craig Cernek, Friends of West Edgewater Park current president, and Ellen  Shepard, executive director of the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, are quoted in the article.

Edgewater Medical Center Redevelopment Status

Interesting DNAinfo article by Benjamin Woodard about Dexia’s efforts to redevelop Edgewater Medical Center.  What Has Been Happening with Edgewater Medical Center Redevelopment

marqardt+gridwork design team members plan to be at Marty’s this Sunday

Raise a glass. Build a park.

There is an update about the Summer Fund Raiser at Marty’s Martini Bar this Sunday between 2 and 5 PM.

Vea Cleary’s idea for an adaptive reuse of the EMC site continues to mature. A concept visualization done by Vea and her design team from marqardt+gridwerk (www.mpgwa.com) (www.gridwerkarch.com) was recently presented to Heartland Housing, a Heartland Alliance company (www.heartlandalliance.org).

From the alley west this plan is essentially identical to the current planned development proposal, which removes the buildings and parking garage west of the alley and replaces them with the neighborhood park and 19 single-family homes. From the alley east this plan differs from the current planned development proposal, which removes the existing buildings and replaces them with 12-story mixed-use building. For the existing buildings from the alley east to Ashland, this plan guts and re-purposes them as a community center and a senior LGBTQ-friendly residence.

This concept, or something like it, is being promoted and explored by both the design team at marqardt+gridwerk, a chicago interdisciplinary design and architecture firm, and Pappageorge Haymes (www.pappageorgehaymes.com), the well know architectural firm specializing in adaptive reuse, as well as Heartland Housing, a non-profit corporation experienced in acquisition, funding, and management for projects like these.

Members of the marqardt+gridwork design team plan to be at Marty’s this Sunday to show and discuss the concept visualization.

For more info about Heartland Housing’s LGBTQ-friendly project in Lakeview or adaptive reuse, please follow this link.

Hope to see you there.

Raise a glass. Build a Park.

Raise a glass. Build a park.

Come to Marty’s Martini Bar on June 23rd at 2 PM for FoWEP’s 3rd Annual Summer Fundraiser.  We’ll be there between 2 and 5 sharing good drinks like the Parktini and talking about where things stand with the February 6th, 2013 offer — almost an entire acre for the Andersonville/West Edgewater neighborhood park — and how the site could be an excellent candidate for the adaptive reuse process.

Unlike the planned development proposal presented by Waveland Partners, which would demolish all of the existing structures on the site and put in their place the neighborhood park, 19 single-family homes, and a 12-story, mixed-use, commercial building with 214 rental apartments, Vea Cleary’s plan for an LGBTQ-friendly senior community relies on the adaptive reuse process.  In addition to a neighborhood park, Vea’s proposal also includes a range of community-accessible amenities such as a pool, fitness center, shops, and community meeting spaces.

At present only a few cities in the country have LGBTQ-friendly senior residences.  Here in Chicago, Heartland Housing and Center on Halsted broke ground in Lakeview on June 3rd on the Midwest’s first LGBTQ-friendly, affordable, senior, housing development.  Read more about this project, which includes the adaptive reuse of the historic 23rd District Town Hall Police Station, which was built in 1907, at these three links: (1) Windy City Media Group, (2) Archpaper, and (3) Architizer.  For more on the project in Lakeview use the search terms “gensler heartland housing”.

If you are not familiar with adaptive reuse, check out these two links: (1) Wikipedia, and (2) AdaptiveReuse.

Marty’s, which is located at 1151 W Balmoral Avenue, will donate 100% of the profit of all drinks served during the event to FoWEP.  Please let friends and neighbors know about it.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Affordable LGBTQ Senior Housing: Another Possibility for the EMC Site

Vea Cleary, who proposed locating an affordable housing center for LGBTQ seniors on the EMC site last May, would like to meet with community members who are interested in helping shape the second iteration of her proposal.

A long time resident of Edgewater and a master’s candidate in interior design at Harrington College of Design, Vea’s initial plan would add to the Kadin Building, the former nurses’s residence, which is located at 1625 W Edgewater Ave. Like the Waveland Partners’ proposal for the site, her plan also includes a neighborhood park. For more details about her idea follow this link to a PDF copy of her site plan (12 MB file).

At last Wednesday night’s meeting, Alderman O’Connor indicated the city would be receptive to a project like Vea’s were a developer to be identified.

Vea will be at the Coffee Studio (5628 N Clark St) this Saturday the 16th from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. If you are interested in contributing ideas and/or feedback to the next version, or you just want to learn more about her proposal, she invites you to come by.

Alderman O’Connor Hosting Public Meeting to Discuss Future Rosehill Nature Preserve

This evening, February 11th, Alderman O’Connor is hosting a public meeting to discuss the future 21-acre nature preserve that will be located on former Rosehill Cemetery property near the corner of Western and Petersen (5801 N Western Ave). At last Wednesday’s meeting Alderman O’Connor mentioned that at this meeting community members will have the opportunity to volunteer to be on the advisory board for this future nature preserve. The Chicago Park District designation for this future site is Park 568. Sorry for the late notice.

A Revised Proposal for the Edgewater Medical Center Site

For the moment rather than of providing yet another account of Alderman O’Connor’s public meeting in the St. Gregory cafeteria last night, we are going list a series of links to other accounts of the evening.

• Eilene Spear’s account for the Edgeville Buzz, Residents Pack Medical Center Meeting, is at this link.
• Benjamin Woodard’ s account for DNAinfo, Proposal to Put Housing, Park at Edgewater Hospital Heads to City, is at this link.
• Joe Ruppel’s article, Edgewater Medical Center Plan Ready for Review, is in The Red Line Project, an online publication of DePaul University College of Communication undergraduate journalism students in Mike Reilley’s Online Journalism II course.
• Jonathan Greig’s piece, Shuttered Edgewater Medical Center Could be Site of 250 Residences, Commercial Space and Park, is in the online publication Medill Reports – Chicago. Medill Reports is written and produced by graduate journalism students at Northwestern University’s Medill School.
• Maurine Berens’ summary of the evening is on the WEAR Facebook page. Maurine is WEAR’s Treasurer. On the WEAR Facebook page there is additional information about other topics that were touched on during the meeting (Mellin Playlot, METRA station, and Rosehill Nature Preserve).

  • Benjamin Woodard also has an article for DNAinfo about the proposed METRA stop, the development of which will have an effect on the success of the redeveloped EMC site.

More information will follow in the coming days, weeks, and months. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend and who was able to spread the word about the meeting. Working together in a constructive manner the Andersonville/West Edgewater Community has  accomplished quite a significant achievement. Alderman O’Connor himself acknowledged this at the meeting when he said, after presenting the revised proposal, “the neighborhood can take credit.” Thank you everyone.

Alderman O’Connor’s Public Meeting to Discuss a Proposal for EMC Site

Alderman Patrick O’Connor is holding a public meeting on Wednesday, February 6 at 7:00 P.M. in the St. Gregory High School Cafeteria (1633 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.) to discuss a proposal for the Edgewater Medical Center site. According to the flyer his office distributed, representatives from the Department of Housing and Economic Development will be present. At this link (ald-oconnor-meeting-flyer-130206) is a PDF copy of the flyer. Please note, unlike previous meetings that have been held in the bingo hall beneath the St. Gregory Gymnasium at 1609 W Gregory St, this meeting is being held in the St. Gregory High School Cafeteria at 1633 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. According to the flyer parking is available in the court yard between buildings.