The Rush University Medical Center health system officially released its plans Monday for a new outpatient facility at the former North/Harlem Sears location.
Ald. Chris Taliaferro’s (29th), whose ward includes the property and the Galewood neighborhood in general, originally announced a medical facility during his Aug. 30, 2022 community meeting. Developer Novak Construction, which currently owns the property, shared more details during a Dec. 14, 2022 community meeting. At the time, they declined to name the tenant, but they dropped enough clues to suggest that it would be Rush – something that the health system didn’t explicitly confirm or deny at the time.
But the veil of silence was lifted during a press conference held at the site on March 20. Rush officials specified that the 60,000-square-foot outpatient facility will offer primary and specialty care services such as cancer treatments, neurology and cardiology services. Novak is still working on bringing a grocery store to the portion of the property closer to the intersection, but this is separate from the Rush facility.
Bringing the grocery store to the site has been Taliaferro’s priority since Sears closed. But during his Aug. 30 community meeting, the alderman said that, while Jewel-Osco expressed strong interest, Novak decided to go with a medical tenant. During the Dec. 14 meeting, Jake Paschen, senior vice president of Novak Construction. said the developer had “several extensive discussions” with grocery tenants that eventually fell through. He indicated that they were still looking for the grocery store that would go south of the medical building.
Rush spokesperson Tobin Klinger confirmed that the health system has nothing to do with the grocery store plans for the site.
The plans unveiled during the March 20 press conference fell in line with what Novak shared on Dec. 14. The 60,000-square-foot outpatient facility will offer primary and specialty services found in other Rush facilities. It would not offer surgeries or any other in-patient services. It will have “approximately 90 exam, consult and procedure rooms.” The center will have a total of 200 parking spaces. The intersection is also served by multiple CTA and Pace buses.
Due to the PUD zoning, the new facility will require city council approval. Rush also needs to get approval from the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board. The application hasn’t been submitted as of March 20, but the health system indicated that they would do it in the next few weeks. Under the current meeting schedule, the earliest the review board can consider the application is on May 9.
Rush expects to get the approval in time to begin construction in fall 2023, with the goal of opening by January 2025.
Dr. Dino Rumoro, CEO of Rush Oak Park Hospital, 520 S. Maple Ave., described the new facility as a way to bring outpatient services to parts of Chicago, Oak Park, River Forest and Elmwood Park two miles north, where the health system doesn’t currently have any facilities.
“Investments like these not only provide benefits to patients in need of care, but they also represent a significant investment by Rush in jobs, accessibility and health equity,” he said. “This new location will bring outstanding patient care to the community, providing patients and communities with convenient access to RUSH’s nationally ranked clinical programs.”
Taliaferro said he supports the project.
“This is a very exciting time,” he said. “This is an opportunity for our ward to bring jobs — but more importantly, this will bring health care to a neighborhood that is in need of a centrally located facility.”
