Edward-Elmhurst Health, one of Chicago’s largest health care systems, has signed a lease to occupy the entire second floor of the new 21-story downtown mixed-use tower, Vantage Oak Park.
Developers of the project, Golub & Company and Wood Partners, announced in a press release that Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant also has signed a lease for the ground-floor space at 150 Forest Ave.
It could not immediately be learned whether they will be the only two non-residential tenants in the building. The developers previously said the 270-unit luxury apartment building would include 25,000 square feet of retail space.
Edward-Elmhurst Health’s website notes that Edward-Elmhurst was established in 2013, when Edward Hospital & Health Services merged with Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare.
Elmhurst Hospital President and CEO Mary Lou Mastro said in a telephone interview that the group aims to have the new facility up and running by the end of January 2017 and will employ approximately 35 people in the first year.
Mastro said the 14,000-square-foot space in Vantage will include an immediate care center – for patients who have suffered acute events such as falls and fractures – and a combination of physicians, including primary care doctors, OBGYNs, neurology physicians and physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians known as physiatrists.
The facility also will offer X-rays and imaging, mammography, ultrasound and other services, she said.
“Our overall philosophy is people want care that is convenient, accessible and close to home,” she said.
Edward-Elmhurst Health touts itself as one of the larger integrated health systems in Illinois.
Edward serves patients in Arlington Heights (Linden Oaks), Aurora, Bolingbrook, Crest Hill, Naperville, Oswego, Plainfield, Romeoville, St. Charles (Linden Oaks), Sandwich, Warrenville, Woodridge and Yorkville. Elmhurst serves patients in Addison, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Clarendon Hills, Elmhurst, Franklin Park, Hinsdale, LaGrange, Lombard, Melrose Park, Oak Brook, Oak Park, River Forest, Westchester and Westmont.
Mastro said the group has pursued an “ambulatory growth strategy” for many years, which includes a dozen walk-in clinics at Jewel-Osco grocery stores, noting that Edward-Elmhurst opened a walk-in clinic at the Jewel-Osco in River Forest. 7525 W. Lake St., in October 2014.
“We really think ambulatory growth is critical,” she said, noting that inpatient procedures at hospitals are decreasing and more often patients are being treated in ambulatory settings.
She said the new facility will not be Edward-Elmhurst’s first foray in Oak Park, noting that four of their primary care physicians – Colleen Weiler, Forrest Robinson, Mary Hutton, Jonathan Littman and Sivikami Krishnan – have operated in office space on Lake Street for at least five years.
Mastro said Oak Park was an obvious choice for the facility because many patients currently travel from the area to visit their hospital nine miles away in Elmhurst.
Neither Chicago-based Golub nor Atlanta-based Wood Partners could immediately be reached for comment.
The press release notes that both Edward-Elmhurst and Cooper’s Hawk have signed long-term leases but did not give the terms of the deal.
Cooper’s Hawk will feature indoor and outdoor dining spaces and offer a full-service bar, private event space, Napa-style tasting room, and a market for artisan goods, according to the press release.
“The addition of these outstanding tenants reinforces the appeal of Oak Park as a commercial destination and Vantage Oak Park as a vibrant, mixed-use community,” Wood Partners’ Chicago-based director Clay Iman said in the press release. “We are pleased to welcome two full-floor tenants who will further enrich downtown Oak Park by delivering an exceptional experience for the Oak Park community and our residential tenants.”
The Vantage release also noted that residents are beginning to move into the apartments, describing it as a transit-oriented development with easy access to downtown Chicago.
CONTACT: tim@oakpark.com