Over the objections of Delnor-Community Hospital representatives, the City Council’s Committee of the Whole this week lent its approval to a zoning change and a site plan for a congregate-care facility to be built on the city’s north side.
Aldermen restricted the permitted use to congregate-care, assisted-living or nursing-home facilities and made the plan contingent upon a public hearing on the annexation agreement concerning future use of the property. Current zoning calls for nursing-home use, which is different from congregate care for seniors who live independently and share meals.
“As a neighbor, the hospital wants to preserve open space on the property,” said Mike Donahue, the hospital’s planner.
But Patrick Griffin, attorney for developer MMG Partners, said, “The building has already been redesigned from six down to four stories, and it meets the land-use requirements.”
