Enos Park Neighborhood
Improvement Association
Springfield Illinois Medical District
As more information concerning the Medical District evolves, this is where we will be posting that information. Please check back for further updates
Please click HERE to visit the springfield medical district website!
April 2003
The City Council of Springfield accepted Mayor Hasara's appointments for the Medical District. They are as follows:
Mike Boer -- President of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce
Mitch Johnson -- Senior Vice President for marketing and planning at Memorial Medical Center
Robert Budnik -- Assistant administrator for environmental services at St. John's Hospital
Maureen Mulhall -- a resident of the Enos Park Neighborhood
May 22, 2003
Dr. Elvin Zook was appointed to the Springfield Medical District Board by Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter, with the unanimous approval of the board. Dr. Zook is the chairman of the division of plastic reconstructive surgery at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.
New Offices For Doctors
Hoping to attract more patients and improve its bottom line, Memorial Medical Center plans to build a $20 million, four-story office building immediately east of the hospital for the exclusive use of Springfield Clinic doctors.
This building would be one of the first major projects to take place in Springfield's newly created medical district. Construction of Memorial's new building could start this fall and be complete sometime in spring 2005. The building would be erected somewhere on the block surrounded by Miller Street on the south, Dodge Street on the north, First Street on the west and Second Street on the east. Pictures to follow below:
Memorial Medical Center as it is today
Proposed Plan for new building
June 25, 2003
1st Medical district committee meeting
June 26, 2003
Article in State Journal Register
July 10, 2003
Medical Campus Proposed
Charles and Pete Salvo began buying up residential property around their Oak Ridge office building decades ago, figuring their long-term state government tenant would eventually outgrow its space.
But it didn't take the brothers long to come up with a backup plan for the property that borders the northern boundary of the new Illinois Medical District at Springfield when the Department of Natural Resources moved to the Illinois State Fairgrounds last year. Today, the Salvos own more than five acres along the block. Demolition is scheduled to begin this month on the office building at 600 North Grand Avenue West and the row of rental houses that surround it will fall as soon as the first medical tenant signs a contract.
Already signs dot the properties with the artist's rendering of the medical campus, which will include a 50,000-square-foot office complex and a 15,000-square-foot out-patient surgical center.
October 2003
Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed two doctors and a union official Wednesday to serve on Springfield's new medical district commission.
The 3 are: Dr. David Bitzer, president of the Sangamon County Medical Society; Dr. Donald Ross, a Springfield Clinic general surgeon and former medical society president; and Thomas McLaughlin, a Springfield-based regional director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The Governor still needs to pick one more candidate.
January 15, 2004
Monthly meeting at SIU School of Medicine
March 29, 2004
Springfield Clinic Ready for Growth (article SJ-R)
Groundbreaking for a new building for the Springfield Clinic will be on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 7:30am.
Memorial Medical Center's planned $27 million office building across the street from its main complex will give Springfield Clinic doctors the ability to provide more efficient and convenient medical care.
The four-story building, which will be rented to the clinic for its exclusive use, will provide office space for 60 doctors -- including neurosurgeons, general surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, urologists and obstetricians/gynecologists -- who do a lot of their work in hospitals. This new building will allow the clinic to fold 16 service locations in Springfield into seven and reduce crowding at the main clinic. The building will be connected to Memorial by an underground walkway beneath First Street.
The location will help the clinic's primary-care doctors refer patients to specialists more quickly because more specialists will be at one site. The building will be named "Springfield Clinic 1st". It will be bounded by First Street on the west, Second Street on the east, Miller Street on the south and Dodge Street on the north.
Below is the architect's rendering showing the south side of the building:
February 2005
Medical district designers selected .... RTKL Associates will get $175,000
(article in SJ-R by Dean Olsen)
An international architectural and engineering firm that a spokesman said is eager to work with Springfield homeowners, businesses and medical leaders received preliminary approval Tuesday to design a master plan for the city's medical district.
The Illinois Capital Development Board voted unanimously to select Baltimore-based RTKL Associates Inc. from among four finalists for the job. A $175,000 state grant will pay for the work.
"It is kind of unique what Springfield's trying to do," said Dan White, an RTKL architect from the firm's Chicago office who would be project manager for the medical district master plan. "It's a great opportunity, and we're looking forward to helping out with the process," said White, 48, a Chicago-area native who earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and worked in Urbana, Mattoon and Charleston before joining RTKL.
The nine-member commission that makes policy for the Illinois Medical District at Springfield will meet Feb. 17 to give the selection final approval. Commission president Michael Boer said he expects the full commission to ratify the CDB's decision.
The commission meeting will be open to the public and will begin at 6 p.m. in the offices of the Illinois Technology Enterprise Center, 320 E. Carpenter St., Suite 240.
Work on the master plan -- intended to both promote growth of the medical services industry in Springfield while preserving residential neighborhoods within the district -- could begin in about 40 days, Boer said.
The commission asked CDB for its free assistance in evaluating 11 bids. A seven-member committee made up of CDB officials and representatives of the commission narrowed the 11 bidders down to fur and then interviewed people from the four firms last month.
Besides RTKL, the other finalists were Loebl Schlossman & Hackle, Harley Ellis Inc. and Smith Group JJR -- all firms with Chicago offices.
All of the finalists were qualified to handle the project, said Chuck Rose, who sat on the seven-member committee and is senior business projects manager for Springfield's Office of Planning and Economic Development.
RTKL appeared best-suited for the work, Rose said, adding, They had had a very good understanding of the scope of the project.
White said RTKL, founded in 1946, has designed many master development plans involving medical facilities but nothing exactly like the one needed for Springfield's medical district.
The firm's projects have included the University of Virginia Health Science Center, the Antelope Valley project in Lincoln, Neb., and revitalization of downtown Oklahoma City after the bombing of the Alfred Murray Federal Building in 1995.
The Springfield medical district is the second such district in Illinois. The Chicago medical district is more than 60 years old.
The design process for the Springfield district's master plan could take six to nine months and is expected to include multiple public meetings and forums conducted by the unpaid commission, with design experts in attendance.
To take effect, a master plan would need approval from the commission, the Springfield City Council and a two-member advisor council.
The State law creating the district says the advisory council, appointed by Springfield's mayor, would be made up of representatives of residential neighborhoods with an interest in the medical district. Two neighborhoods -- Enos Park and Oak Ridge -- are included in the medical district.
Mayor Tim Davlin hasn't yet appointed members of the advisory council.
February 10, 2005
Medical district designers selected:
An international architectural and engineering firm is eager to work with Springfield homeowners, businesses and medical leaders received preliminary approval Tuesday (2/8) to design a master plan for the city's medical district.
The Illinois Capital Development Board voted unanimously to select Baltimore-based RTKL Associates Inc. for the job. A $175,000 state grant will pay for the work.
Dan White, an RTKL architect, will be project manager for the medical district master plan. Mr. White is a Chicago native who earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and worked in Urbana, Mattoon and Charleston before joining RTKL.
The nine-member commission that makes policy for the Illinois Medical District at Springfield met on February 17 to give the selection final approval. The commission meetings are open to the public and begin at 6pm in the offices of the Illinois Technology Enterprise Center, 320 E. Carpenter St., Suite 240.
Work on a master plan could begin in about 40 days.
RTKL, founded in 1946, has designed many master development plans involving medical facilities. The firms projects have included the University of Virginia Health Science Center, the Antelope Valley project in Lincoln Neb. and revitalization of downtown Oklahoma City after the bombing of the Alfred Murray Federal Building in 1995.
The design process for the Springfield district's master plan couple take six to nine months and is expected to include multiple public meetings and forums conducted by the unpaid commission.
To take effect, a master plan would need approval from the commission, the Springfield City Council and a two member advisory council.
The state law creating the district says the advisory council, appointed by the Springfield Mayor, would be made up of representatives of residential neighborhoods with an interest in the medical district. Two neighborhoods - Enos Park and Oak Ridge are included in the Medical District. The Mayor has yet to make his decision concerning members for the advisory council.
February 11, 2005
Officials unveil cancer institute design: SIU building expected to be completed in 2007
Dr. J. Kevin Dorsey, dean and provost of the SIU School of Medicine, stated that cathedral windows that would spread natural light would comfort patients battling deadly diseases. The $20 million building would reflect both his philosophy of promoting compassionate medical care. He hopes the building itself -- the architecture -- would connote hope, strength and a sense of caring.
The 60,000 square-foot institute is part of SIU's goal to create a nationally recognized center for cutting-edge cancer research and treatment, and also a resource for residents of downstate Illinois, while not competing with other cancer-treatment specialists in Springfield.
The four-level building -- with three stories above ground -- will be constructed over the next several years on two acres bounded by Carpenter, Rutledge and Miller streets. Construction is expected to begin in the fall and be completed in 2007.
The institute will build upon existing cancer-related expertise at SIU and elsewhere in Springfield, and will help SIU recruit more highly specialized cancer experts.
At least 40 to 50 new jobs will be created to help staff the institute -- everyone from doctors to researchers and nurses, medical technicians, laboratory assistants and secretaries.
The buildings open, two-story lobby will be filled with natural light and feature a station for a receptionist to provide patients immediate attention. Chemotherapy suites will be on the building's first floor, along with several clinics for people with certain types of cancer. A resource library, meditation room/chapel, support-group meeting room and conference room also will be there. The second floor will include the Women's Cancer Care Center, for treatment of breast and gynecological cancers, rooms for diagnostic imaging and an area where workers will coordinate clinical trials that give patients access to the latest medicines and medical devices. The third floor will house research labs. These labs will be in addition to eight new cancer research labs already developed in existing medical school buildings.
Below is a computer rendering of the building when finished:
Tuesday, April 5, 2005
(article in SJ-R by Dean Olsen)
The Prairie Diagnostic Center will be built at 401 E. Carpenter Street; A $14.6 million outpatient center focusing on diagnosis of heart disease will be built on the north side of Carpenter Street, between Fourth and Fifth streets a spokesman for the joint venture of Springfield doctors and hospitals that will own the center.
James Zito is the acting director of the Prairie Diagnostic Center.
The project is a for-profit partnership between a Springfield-based group of cardiologists and the city's two hospitals. The diagnostic center will create 15 to 20 new jobs for nurses and medical technicians and technologist.
The project is designed to ease current backlogs in the hospitals for outpatients needing diagnostic procedures known as catheterizations. About 40 percent of the diagnostic catheterizations going on in the two hospitals, or about 2600 procedures a year, will be moved to the new center.
May 2005
(SJ-R article)
Med district residents look to the future
Architects conduct first of three meetings on master plan
By Chris Wetterich
STAFF WRITER
Residents got a glimpse of what a redeveloped near-north-end medical district might look like and a chance to help draft its design at the first of three public forums Monday night.
Architects from RTKL Associates Inc. of Chicago, an engineering and architecture firm hired to lead the planning, want the public's opinion before they start developing a master plan for the area known as the Illinois Medical District at Springfield.
A state law created the district in 2003 and called for a master plan to help Springfield expand its medical-related employment base.
Choosing from among four or five potions in six different categories, those attending the forum at the Prairie Heart Institute used green stickers to indicate how they wanted the district to look. They also were given the opportunity to tell RTKL representatives their hopes and concerns.
Paris Rutherford, RTKL'S lead urban planner for the project, spelled out advantages and disadvantages of the district, which takes up about one square mile bounded by North Grand Avenue and Walnut, 11th and Madison streets.
Among the disadvantages he cited:
- Too much space devoted to vehicles, mostly in the form of surface parking, creating a feeling of disconnect. Almost half of the district is filled with "dead space," which also leads to the perception that the area is not safe.
"These become opportunities for targeted infill (of new buildings)," Rutherford said.
- Poor east-west traffic routs, making it difficult to go between the east and west sides of the district.
- Erosion of some buildings in the neighborhood.
Among the advantages Rutherford noted:
- Firmly embedded anchors -- St. John's Hospital, Memorial Medical Center and the Southern Illinois University of Medicine -- creating an opportunity to build around them.
"Most communities your size would die to have these three institutions in the same place," Rutherford said. - Good north-south traffic routes makes it easy to get from one point to another in that direction.
- An intact Enos Park neighborhood and green area.
The planners emphasized that the district's purpose is not just to bring in new medical businesses but to combine them with new residential and commercial development to create a distinctive urban neighborhood.
Dan White, the RTKL architect who is leading the project, said the area is not living up to its potential.
Workers far outnumber residents, he said, with 4,000 people residing in the district and 12,000 working in the medical industry, the city's second-largest employer next to state government.
"My sense is there are not a lot of people who work and live there," White said. "There are a lot of people who could be walking to work but aren't. That seems to be a missed opportunity."
Also lacking are restaurants and other small businesses.
"I'm curious why with 12,000 people, there aren't more restaurants," White said.
The 100 or so forum participants selected designs in six areas: civic space, single-family housing, retail, multi-family housing, office space and streetscape.
Participants preferred small-scale civic space, with green space surrounding a plaza, "community garden" concept, fountain or another central decorative element.
For single-family housing, most people voted for small-lot houses grouped close together. In terms of retail, residents preferred mixed-use space with housing and retail grouped in the same place.
For multi-family housing, participants overwhelmingly liked the look of low-rise townhouses three stories or smaller that are grouped close together.
They also wanted short office buildings, five or six stories high in a "campus" setting or the conversion of houses to office space rather than tall, expansive office buildings.
An informal setting with lots of trees and grass or a "village" setting with buildings close to the street topped participants' choices for streetscape.
Residents also got to rank goals for the medical district. The top choices were:
- Pay specific attention to streetscaping, trees and paving.
- Create a safe and pleasant environment for pedestrians.
- Reduce the visible and physical impact of cars and parking lots.
- Create an environment where people can shop and work within a short distance from home.
During the group sessions, residents had a number of concerns about how the redeveloped district would change their neighborhoods. Some wanted to make sure housing and opportunities for those with low incomes are preserved, while others wanted to make sure the district preserved the neighborhoods' historic character.
Others hoped the home-ownership rate would increase, while one suggested the district is the perfect opportunity to build student housing where SIU medical school students can live.
Once RTKL incorporates the public's comments into a master plan, it will guide development of the district for the next 10-15 years. It could lead to changes in zoning or other steps to attract medical businesses, while preserving residential neighborhoods.
The next public forum will be on June 27. Architects will present three proposed designs and get additional public input.
A final plan will be presented at the third meeting, probably in August. That will be residents' last chance to have a say. The medical district commission will then review the plan. Any zoning changes would have to be approved by the Springfield City Council.
May 2005
MAYOR NAMES 6 TO MEDICAL DISTRICT COUNCIL
excerpts from State Journal Register article
The six business owners and advocates of neighborhood preservation appointed to an advisory council Monday by Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin will have veto power over a future master plan for the city's medical district.
The mayor said the people he appointed were recommended by neighbohood groups. "They bring a wealth of experience with neighborhood and community issues that will be vital to the work of the Medical District Commission," Davlin said.
Appointed to the panel were:
* Fletcher Farrar, 56, of 1001 North Seventh Street and Linda Maier, 52, of 1029 North Fourth Street, representing the Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association.
Farrar is co-owner of the Illinois Times weekly newspaper, is married and has two grown daughters. He lives in the district and owns rental properties in Enos Park. He is president of a not-for-profit organization that rehabilitates aging homes in Enos Park for single-family occupancy. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Northwestern University in Evanston.
Maier, a real-estate agent, is single and lives in the district. The Springfield native has a bachelor's degree in social work from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
*McClain, 47, of 1221 North Franklin Avenue and Christopher Spinner, 48, of 1306 S. Douglas Avenue, representing the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Association.
McClain, a laboratory manager for TMI Analytical, is married and has two grown sons. She lives a block north of the medical district and was born in Springfield. McClain received a bachelor's degree in biology from the former Sangamon State University, now the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Spinner, who is married and has two sons, lives outside the medical district, but his business, Spinner Plastics, 1108 North First Street, is on the north side of the district. Born and raised in Springfield, he earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
*Carolyn Oxtoby, 73, of 216 S. Sixth Street and Steve Myers, 43, of rural Menard County, representing Downtown Springfield Inc.
Oxtoby, owner of Oxtoby Properties, is a downtown property owner and developer. The Springfield native, a widow with three children, has a bachelor's degree in French from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.
Myers, who lives on a farm in Menard County, was born and raised in Springfield. Married and the father of two children, he is a commercial real-estate broker based at Fifth and Washington Streets. He also is former president of Downtown Springfield Inc., a not-for-profit group that promotes downtown development. Myers, studied political science at the University of Missouri at Columbia.
Click HERE to view an article that appeared in the SJ-R on November 16, 2006