Marie Mindeman said she had both her children at the former MetroSouth hospital in Blue Island, but when it closed in 2019, her doctors moved to Tinley Park, and she started driving 40 miles round trip for care that was previously a walk from her home.
Mindeman and nine other Blue Island residents told the City Council Tuesday they still feel connected to the former hospital, even seven years after its closure, and they oppose the property owners intentions to build a data center.
Although Mayor Fred Bilotto assured residents the city has not received a formal proposal for a data center, residents said it’s not too early to worry that a place that once healed them could bring harm into the heart of the city.
A few city officials said there were more residents than normal Tuesday night and they were more vocal than usual, showing that the concerns about the site should be taken seriously.
“As a resident whose quality of life and property values will be negatively impacted by the industrial, thermal and audio pollution, I would urge you, my city officials, to reject what appears to be a hastily projected, opportunistic proposal to cash in on what some consider an underserved, diverse community,” said Mindeman, an more than 50-year resident and a retired director at the American Medical Association.
“A key part of our town was healthcare industry, and this proposal coming before you isn’t about filling a gap in our community,” she said.
The comments come after City Administrator Thomas Wogan announced the previous property owners, Lockwood Development Partners, were no longer developing the site into a senior living complex, and Builders Capital, the new owners who had been the financial backers for Lockwood, told the city they want to demolish the building and build a data center.
Bilotto has repeatedly said the city has not received a formal proposal for a data center, and said any proposal would go through a formal, transparent process. The project would require the city to grant the property owners a special-use permit.
He said the city regularly receives proposals for the site, including a recent idea to turn it into a juvenile education center, that he said appeared to be produced partly by artificial intelligence. The proposals he mentioned had not been submitted by the property owner.
“All the five years I’ve been here, we’ve probably heard 20 ideas or more, at least, that never go anywhere,” Bilotto said.
Bilotto also emphasized the city’s future is deeply personal to him as a lifelong resident now raising a family in the area.
“Be aware, there’s certain things in my position I cannot say, but hopefully my comments, you could read between the lines,” said Bilotto.
Bilotto met with the property owners last week about their intentions for the site, according to 7th Ward Ald. Joshua Roll.
Residents who spoke Tuesday said a data center would bring heavy water and energy use, risks to drinking water and Lake Michigan fresh water, higher utility costs, noise and limited job creation.
One resident said they planned to move if a data center was built.
Judith Meir said she has heard stories about the hospital’s long positive history from doctors who worked there, including stories of residencies and the successful cardiologist wing.
“It’s history, and this is way opposite of any of that,” she said. “It’s not going to help people the way the hospital once did.”
Daysha Robinson-Boyd, who lives near the former hospital, said she would like development at the site to add “vibrancy” to Western Avenue and asked the City Council to prioritize transparency. She also said the company that develops the site should invest in area parks and roads.
“When MetroSouth closed, we lost a community that brought hundreds of people downtown every day to support our local business,” Robinson-Boyd said. “Let’s make sure the redevelopment serves the people of Blue Island, not the data industry.”
Roll and 4th Ward Ald. Bill Fahrenwald expressed concerns about a data center, along with concerns about the hospital site and development in Blue Island.
Roll argued the city would benefit from a more cohesive development plan, which he said could encourage more healthcare and affordable housing development. He said the city has industrial areas that would be better suited for a data center.
“To have a plan, to be proactive rather than reactive, almost always gives us better options,” he said.
Fahrenwald echoed Roll’s concerns and said the city missed an opportunity to own the MetroSouth hospital site in 2019, which he said would have given the city more control over development.
The hospital’s owners in 2019, Quorum Health, offered to give the hospital to the city to run, along with $25,000 for a consultant to help with real estate development, according to a 2019 city news release. The city did not take the agreement, and Fahrenwald said he thinks the city did not have enough discussion.
“Maybe we couldn’t have had it, but we didn’t even discuss it,” Fahrenwald said.
“It’s a lesson on economic development, echoing on Ald. Roll’s comments, that we need to have a very strong economic development program and vision that would help guide us and put us in a good position to deal with situations like what we’re facing right now, which are critical,” he said.
Fahrenwald, along with Blue Island Treasurer Nancy Rita, thanked the residents who spoke Tuesday night.
“Everybody who came out tonight, took time out of your busy schedule, I just want you to know I see you and I hear you, and I really appreciate all the input that you are giving tonight,” said Rita.
awright@chicagotribune.com
