Condell Hospital details nine areas of expansion

Since it was founded in 1928, Condell Medical Center in Libertyville has continuously grown with the times, both in land and facilities.

But the hospital established on a bequest by Elizabeth Condell had never made public a comprehensive vision of where it hoped to be in the long run.

That changed earlier this month, when Condell Medical Center and its affiliate Medical Center Properties Inc., the legal owners of the 77-acre campus on Milwaukee Avenue, submitted a big picture to village officials.

Though the request is laden with zoning jargon, the bottom line is that Condell is seeking general approval for a long-range vision through what is known as a planned development.

"The question always has been, 'How big are they going to get?'" said John Spoden, the village's director of community development. "This tells us."

In a planned development, locations of buildings, parking lots, new roads or other features as well as general types of land uses are noted in a master plan. If approved by the village, the hospital could essentially plug in the pieces of the whole as they are ready to go in a streamlined process.

"Right now, everything they do from the emergency room (a $23.5 million expansion) to a 6-square-foot sign, nine times out of 10, requires a public hearing," Spoden said.

The plan shows nine separate areas for future development. Uses include expansions of the hospital, medical offices, ambulatory services, a post acute-care facility, and unspecified accessory uses covering about 18 acres.

"The hospital is interested in being a good neighbor," said Jodi Levine, vice president of business development for Condell. "I think it's an essential part of having an overall strategic plan and vision for the future."

The only project detailed in the plan is a five-story addition to the hospital's west wing and additions to the hospital's main building amounting to about 177,000 square feet. The work is described by Condell as a "major expansion, renovation and modernization of the hospital."

Located at the northwest corner of the campus, it would allow for the conversion of semi-private patient rooms to private rooms.

Work already has begun on a $23.5 million project to triple the size of the hospital's emergency department. Groundbreaking for the new patient tower isn't expected until next spring or summer.

Hospital officials are awaiting word from the state, possibly by the end of the year, on a proposal to become Lake County's only Level 1 trauma center.

A pending state decision on proposals to build hospitals in Lindenhurst and Round Lake would have an affect on Condell's future plans, Levine said.

So could changes in the health-care industry in general. With rapid advances in medicine and science, Levine said it's impossible to know what the specific health-care needs of Lake County residents may be in 15 years.

The village's plan commission is scheduled to discuss Condell's plan Oct. 22.