HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 10/25/1995 - City Council SPECIAL MEETING
OCTOBER 25, 1995
A Special Meeting of the McHenry City Council was called to order by Mayor
Cuda on Wednesday, October 25, 1995 at 7:35 P.M. in the Council Chambers of the
Municipal Center. At roll call the following Aldermen were present: Bolger, Locke,
Lawson, Baird. Bates arrived at 7:40 P.M. Absent: None. City Staff in attendance
were Deputy Clerk Marth, Director of Building and Zoning Lobaito. Absent: City
Administrator Peterson, City Clerk Althoff, Director of Public Works Batt, Director of
Parks & Recreation Merkel, Chief of Police Joyce and City Attorney McArdle.
Also in attendance were representatives of Northern Illinois Medical Center, and
Centegra Health System, of which NIMC is a part, including NIMC Attorney, Jeff Ladd;
NIMC Chief Executive Officer, Barry Finn; Centegra Executive Vice-President, Jim
Redding; Scott Harganon (Attorney Ladd's partner) and Bob Teska of Teska and
Associates.
Before commencing the meeting, Mayor Cuda asked for a moment of silence
for "our friends and neighbors" in Fox River Grove and Cary who suffered a terrible
loss because of the train/school bus collision.
Mayor Cuda announced that this Special Meeting was called to consider
Centegra's request for the establishment of a Healthcare Zoning District on NIMC's
property. At the Council's May 17, 1995 meeting, authorization was given for the
drafting of a proposed healthcare zoning ordinance which was to be presented at a
joint meeting of the Plan Commission and Zoning Board before Council consideration.
Centegra has requested Council's review of the draft ordinance prior to seeking Plan
Commission and Zoning Board comments and the official public hearing before the
Zoning Board of Appeals.
Mayor Cuda then turned the meeting over to Director of Building &Zoning John
Lobaito who has been working directly with the hospital staff. Lobaito stated that he
had met with several staff members of the hospital to develop the ordinance but
-- because of the time-consuming east of the river annexations, did not have an
opportunity to work on the draft and had asked the hospital to do all the work for the
City staff to review. Lobaito reported that the proposed ordinance looked to be well
thought out and could be incorporated in our existing zoning ordinance as a separate
zoning district classification which has some elements of the City's Business Park and
Office Park zoning requirements.
Lobaito gave a brief overview of the ordinance, which included 42 permitted
uses and 2 conditional uses in the proposed healthcare district on the hospital's 115
acres. He said there were some staff concerns and recommendations that would need
to be addressed before the final draft would be presented and they included:
- recommendation that all residential uses be conditional as opposed to
permitted uses;
- street access points to Bull Valley Road and State Route 31 be identified and
not subject to change after City approval;
- an overall internal street configuration, including traffic studies, be considered
as part of the process.
,.,,. Responding to a question from Alderman Bates, Lobaito said that staff did not
look at other hospital zoning district ordinances to see how or if they worked in other
municipalities and thought that Attorney Ladd might have some insight regarding the
question.
Locke had some questions on stormwater detention/retention areas since there
was no campus plan from the hospital to show these areas, how could the City plan
for off-sight regional stormwater detention/retention areas. Lobaito said the hospital
would have to prove to the City that if they eliminated any stormwater detention area
from the hospital site, the run-off from the hospital could be accommodated by the
regional stormwater detention/retention ponds.
Wednesday, October 25, 1995
Special Meeting Page 2.
Attorney Ladd responding to Alderman Locke's concerns on stormwater
detention areas stated that the hospital has created temporary detention areas in order
to participate with the City, not only in water control but monetarily, in creating a
regional detention pond. NIMC's engineers have told him that the next project of any
size out there will require a permanent solution. Ladd stated that NIMC cannot wait
much longer. They will soon need answers from the City and Pacini as to whether
there will be a regional detention pond or the hospital will have to create an overall on-
site solution for the hospital's property.
Ladd stated that the ordinance was created after several meetings with City
staff and is the result of reaching a consensus in addressing the concerns of the staff.
Ladd believes that the ordinance provides for higher standards than what is now
required. In order to meet the future challenges of healthcare and compete in the
rapidly evolving industry, Ladd said the hospital must make sure they can expand
quickly. As the City's ordinances now stand, it takes three to six months to plan and
zone a project in addition to securing a certificate of need from the Illinois Health
Facilities Planning Board, which could take an additional three to six months after the
Planning Board is assured of the likelihood of zoning . The proposed ordinance would
allow a more rapid expansion in creating their healthcare campus. Ladd told the
Council that the hospital was asking the City to place trust in the hospital's
commitment to the community by allowing them to deviate from the Subdivision
Control Ordinance requirements in construction of additional buildings without
subdividing the property into lots and blocks. The hospital however would still meet
or exceed the requirements for setbacks, landscaping, water retention and other
subdivision controls.
Barry Finn next told of the types of fast-paced developments taking place in the
healthcare industry and the services that NIMC provides the community, from cancer
radiation therapy and a cardiac catherization lab to expanded outpatient surgery and
classrooms for community health education. He also talked of the implementation of
the successful child day-care center, the accredited rehabilitation therapy system
developed at the hospital, the new behavioral health unit and the value of the flight-
for-life helicopter which was utilized extensively in the train/school bus accident today
in Fox River Grove.
Later this month, Finn stated, the hospital will begin developing the Medical
Resonance Imaging (MRI) building for addition to the campus which will be in service
twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. According to Finn, many of these
programs that the hospital provides do not make a profit. They were implemented to
serve the needs of the community by a hospital board that is made up of community
members who are responsive and responsible to the community. Finn finished his
remarks with the report that several healthcare agencies from outside the County want
to build medical facilities inside McHenry County and he believes, because these
facilities would not be controlled locally, they would not be community assets.
Ladd asked if there were any questions on the ordinance and Alderman Baird
asked who would be in charge of the permitted retail uses - would they be hospital
franchises or independent business owners. Ladd responded that everything the
hospital board has said to this point is that they want to control the whole 115 acre
parcel. There may be a type of condominium interest developed, say in a physician
office building, whereby if a unit is to be sold, the hospital would have right of first
refusal on the owner's interest at market value and the hospital would buy it back.
The board does not want to see the land split up with 50 different owners. He said
they want to keep central control in order to approve what is built there. Lobaito also
said there are safety measures and ways to control the sale of land within a district
like this, through the proposed ordinance.
Alderman Bolger said he felt that the Council should not be having an in-depth
discussion on the proposed ordinance. He believed an informational, general outline
meeting would be fine but an in-depth technical discussion would be preempting the
Zoning Board of Appeals.
Attorney Ladd said he would like to make some general comments on the
Wednesday, October 25, 1995
Special Meeting Page 3.
previously stated staff recommendations. First of all, the hospital has no problem with
giving an overall internal street configuration although they would not like to be tied
down to exact locations, but will provide a general configuration. As the process
develops, the hospital will work with the staff on the access points to the campus.
The hospital is willing to make concessions on the retail businesses being turned
inward with no curb-cuts on Route 31 or Bull Valley Road, provided the hospital can
get the right access into the community, making sure there is no through traffic that
isn't hospital related. Ladd said the last item that the hospital seems to have a
problem with is that all residential uses be conditional. The hospital is not talking of
single-family or multi-family residential units, but medical units that have a medical
component, such as a nursing home or assisted living units. Ladd said the hospital
is certainly willing to discuss this problem.
At this time, Jim Redding presented a short slide presentation on Centegra's
positive economic impact in the community and the healthcare programs that have
been developed for the delivery of quality healthcare to the community.
Alderman Baird suggested a joint meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals and
Plan Commission be set for a presentation by the hospital.
Mayor Cuda asked John Lobaito to contact the Plan Commission Chairman, the
Zoning Board Chairman and the hospital to find a convenient time to set up a joint
meeting for the presentation, probably toward the later part of November.
Mayor Cuda thanked Centegra for its presentation and called for a five minute
recess at 8:45 P.M., before going into Executive Session.
The meeting reconvened at 8:50 P.M. with all Aldermen, the Mayor and Deputy
Clerk still in attendance.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Motion by Bates, seconded by Locke, to go into Executive Session at 8:50 P.M.
to discuss personnel matters.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Locke, Bates, Lawson, Baird.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
Motion by Baird, seconded by Locke, to go back into Open Session at 9:30
P.M.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Locke, Bates, Lawson, Baird.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
Motion by Baird, seconded by Lawson, to authorize the Mayor and Alderman
Lawson to interview public sector executive search firms and come back with a
recommendation to hire one of the firms to secure candidates to fill the vacancy of
City Administrator.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Bates, Lawson, Baird.
Voting Nay: None.
Abstaining: Locke.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
Wednesday, October 25, 1995
Special Meeting Page 4.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Bates, seconded by Lawson, to adjourn the meeting at 9:35 P.M.
Voting Aye: Bolger, Locke, Bates, Lawson, Baird.
Voting Nay: None.
Absent: None.
Motion carried.
EPUTY CLERK ` MAYOR