 On Monday night the hospital received final plat approval
from the Lincoln City Council for the construction of a 40-bed
assisted living center to be built on the south side of the drive
that goes to the hospital.The request for plat approval went
before the Lincoln Planning Commission on July 25. During that
meeting, commission members were given information about the request
by John Lebegue, city zoning officer.
Lebegue explained the location of the plat and talked about how
the south-side parcel of land would be divided into three plots,
with the new facility occupying the center or second parcel.
During discussions, questions arose about the wetland area
adjacent to the building site, the high moisture content in that
area and how the infrastructure would be built to accommodate
emergency vehicles.
Lebegue said the engineers for the project were aware of the
water issues and would work that all out. In regard to the
infrastructure and emergency vehicles, he said the project had not
reached the phase where that would be addressed, but he was
confident it would be done properly.
One issue that came up regarding the build was the use of the
east plot. Lebegue said that area would have to be set aside as
access to the vacant land to the immediate south. He explained that
the Illinois Department of Transportation will allow no more
accesses to be constructed on Lincoln Parkway, so the hospital will
have to provide access to that property, formerly owned by Harold
Goodman.
He told the commission that the new facility the hospital is
hoping to build will be a good fit with the city's west side as well
as with the hospital campus.
On Monday evening, Lebegue presented the commission's decision to
the city council, saying it had been approved by unanimous vote.
He also gave them a memorandum with details regarding the plat
and planned construction, maps of the current site, and the location
of the proposed new facility.
Below are excerpts from the memorandum:
(Copy)
SUMMARY AND
BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
Abraham Lincoln
Memorial Hospital has filed a petition seeking Preliminary Plat
Approval and Final Plat Approval for a Major Subdivision of land to
the south of the ALMH Hospital at 200 Stahlhut Drive. When the ALMH
Hospital was developed, the property was divided into three tracts,
with the main hospital tract being Tract 1 and comprising 35.77
acres, the Springfield Clinic professional building being Tract 3
and comprising 1.35 acres and the vacant land to the south of
Stahlhut Drive being Tract 2 and comprising 17.38 acres. The
proposed Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital Subdivision will divide
the existing Tract 2 into three lots, with a proposed assisted
living facility being developed in the newly created Lot 2.
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The ALMH
Subdivision of Tract 2 proposes the creation of the following lots:
Lot 1: Lot 1 is the
far easterly lot that is adjacent to Lincoln Parkway and would
possess 5.08 acres. An access and utility easement is being created
on the west side of Lot I to provide access to the Goodman parcel
located to the south of the proposed subdivision. ALMH gained
ownership of the Goodman parcel at the time the hospital was being
developed and since IDOT will not permit any further access from
Lincoln Highway, access from Stahlhut Drive is the only feasible
means to gain access to the landlocked Goodman parcel.
Lot 2: Lot 2 is the
next westerly lot and would possess 7.6 acres and is the site of the
proposed 40 bed, assisted living facility. Lot 2 can be directly
accessed off of Stahlhut Drive and no other roadway must be created
to access the parcel. Timber Creek Village and The Glenwood
Communities is in the process of preparing development plans for the
proposed assisted living facility, which in the opinion of staff is
a very complimentary and appropriate use for the newly created Lot
2. A copy of the preliminary Site Plan for assisted living facility
has been attached to provide a prospective of what will soon be
constructed on the property.
Lot 3: Lot 3 is the
far westerly lot and possesses 4.7 acres. Since Stahlhut Drive does
not extend fully to the frontage of Lot 3, an access and utility
easement is being created to provide future access to Lot 3.
During discussion by the council, Jonie Tibbs asked about the
soil moisture content, recalling that the area was "soupy" a lot of
the time. It was mentioned that ALMH had built a retention pond
along Lincoln Parkway, and that served to collect drainage from the
wet soils. Lebegue said the project engineers will use that same
pond to provide drainage for this project.
Lebegue also told the council that building plans are under
development now and he expects to be seeing those in the near
future.
When the motion seeking approval of the final plat came to a
vote, it passed unanimously with a vote of 7-0. Alderman Bruce
Carmitchel was absent for the evening.
[By NILA SMITH] |
