August 13, 1999
R.U.S.H.  Press Release

Residents United To Save Our Homes will present to the Oak Park Plan
Commission Thursday night, August 19th, two petitions signed by nearly 874
Oak Park residents.

    The first petition, signed by 366 residents in the surrounding
neighborhood, opposes a request by developers to rezone the neighborhood for
a five-story office tower. The 140,000 square-foot project would decrease
property values, increase traffic, demolish homes and turn a residential
area into a busy medical business district, the petition states.

    The second petition was available to Oak Park residents who do not live
near Oak Park Hospital, an affiliate of Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's. It
states ``The proposed rezoning could set a precedent in Oak Park that
economic development is more important than preserving neighborhoods.''

    R.U.S.H. has asked developers and the hospital to build the development
on Madison or Harlem, on property the hospital owns. The hospital has
refused to consider this alternative, and has dismissed the neighborhood
group as a ``vocal minority.'' However, the petitions, signed by 508
residents, prove R.U.S.H. enjoys wide support, not only in the surrounding
neighborhood, but throughout the village. Volunteers who distributed the
petition report that few people with sufficient knowledge of the situation,
declined to sign.

    The Plan Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19 at Oak Park
Village Hall council chambers, Lombard and Madison. Supporters of the
proposed rezoning will speak first, followed by opponents.

    R.U.S.H. is developing a comprehensive presentation of its case. To
avoid repetition, each R.U.S.H. speaker will address a different topic.

Those topics include:
    _ Overview.
    _ Presentation of petitions.
    _ Developers' dealings with neighbors.
    _ Project's effect on traffic.
    _ Slide presentation, showing houses to be torn down, size of proposed
       building, etc.
    _ Zoning ordinance.
    _ How the project violates the spirit of the village's comprehensive
       plan.
    _ Project's negative effect on property values.
    _ How developers have overstated the benefits and understated the risks
        of the project.
    _ The feasibility of relocating the project on Madison or Harlem.
 

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August 12, 1999
R.U.S.H.  Press Release

When Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center sought a developer for its
controversial medical office building next to Oak Park Hospital, it didn't
have to look far.
    Rush hired Partners '99 LLC to build the five-story office tower. One of
the principal investors in the for-profit project is Marshall Field, V.
    That's the same Marshall Field, V. who is chairman of
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center. Rush-Presbyterian manages Oak
Park Hospital, which is a member of the Rush System for Health.
    It's a conflict of interest for a hospital board to hire one of its own
members to build its office building, said Residents United to Save Our
Homes, the neighborhood group fighting the development.
    Even more disturbing is Mr. Field's track record in commercial real
estate, R.U.S.H. said. In the early 1990s, Mr. Field headed a nationwide
real estate company that lost tens of millions of dollars.
    Field's troubled real estate company was Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, which
his family purchased in 1979. Mr. Field took personal control of the firm in
1989. Under Mr. Field's watch, projects failed all around the country.
    In Boston, for example, a bank sued Mr. Field for $1.7 million in a
lawsuit involving a $40 million default on real estate loans. In Lake
Forest, a lender foreclosed on an office building built by Cabot, Cabot &
Forbes, and the property was sold in a sheriff's sale. In Chicago, Cabot,
Cabot & Forbes was sued by a former investor who alleged all of the firm's
properties were in default and fraud was involved.
    According to Forbes magazine, Mr. Field's firm ``clearly suffered from
bad management.''
    Today, Mr. Field is one of two principals in Field Partners. Field
Partners has joined with Healthcare Development Partners in Partners '99,
the developers of the proposed medical office building south of Oak Park
Hospital.
    The proposed location is in the heart of a residential neighborhood, and
would require the demolition of at least eight homes. Residents have asked
developers to consider siting the project north or east of the hospital, on
property the hospital owns on Madison Street or Harlem Avenue. Adding
residential support to the project would go a long way to help insure the
projects success. Both for the hospital and for the Village of Oak Park.
    The proposed project would have 140,000 square feet. By comparison West
Suburban Hospital's office building has 80,000 square feet, and has a 33
percent vacancy in rentable space.
    The proposed office building, like all commercial developments, entails
risks. And Mr. Field has a track record of taking on risky projects. If the
proposed project were to go forward in its current location and ultimately
fail, it would become a white elephant for the neighborhood and the village.
    However, if the project were built on Madison or Harlem, it could be
converted to other commercial uses if it were not successful as a medical
office building.
    R.U.S.H. supports any project that would benefit Oak Park Hospital while
preserving the residential character of the neighborhood. Building the
project on Madison or Harlem would accomplish both of those goals.
 

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August 12, 1999

 The Oak Park Plan Commission this week will hold a second hearing on Oak
Park Hospital's request to build a massive, five-story office building south
of the hospital. As you know, this project would hurt property values,
increase traffic and demolish eight homes.
    More than 100 residents who oppose the project attended the first
hearing last month, but did not get to speak because it took developers four
hours to present their case.
    The second hearing will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19 at the village
board chambers, Lombard and Madison. The Plan Commission has promised we
will get to speak this time.
    Residents United to Save Our Village is planning a comprehensive
presentation of our case, with each R.U.S.H. speaker addressing a different
aspect of the proposal. Other residents also are welcome to speak, and can
register at the hearing.

Here is an update from last night. During public comment nine residents of
Oak Park spoke in opposition of the proposed rezoning plan and there was one
speaker representing the developers.

Of these speakers; the themes of the people directly affected by the project were:

1) misrepresentation of the facts given by the hospital (ex: a: one resident Mike Weik - 708-383-2934; had been told that the building would not be within 30 feet of his house and now he is told it is 3 - 5 feet and that he can only speak to their lawyer,
b: Partners '99 LLC has repeatedly told the press, the neighborhood and the
Village; how their expert traffic report showed that the project graded
highly and would not negatively impact the neighborhood - now they say the
data was misused and a new report will be written),

2) none of the information requested is being turned over i.e.; other options considered,
traffic reports, and a listing of other property owned by the hospital...

3)One person broke down over her feelings that the hospital and developer have
treated her in a dehumanizing manner.

There were also reports by a 20 year veteran Traffic Planner for the State
of Illinois (Mark Johnson - 708-386-0044;  a past head of the Oak Park
Planning Commission) and there was a licensed Interior Designer (Margaret
Abbott). Mr. Johnson had reviewed Partners '99 LLC's expert traffic report
and found it totally useless for determining a realistic impact on the
neighborhood. Based on the architectural designs (Partners '99  traffic
consultant refuse to give him any data that they are basing their new report
on; such as the number of Doctors and employees expected to work in the
facility ) Mr. Johnson foresees a massive flooding of our residential
streets with traffic, for which they were not designed to handle.  Ms.
Abbott, the Interior designer, looked over the architectural designs and was
able to establish that the planned five story office building could fit onto
Madison St. where the hospital already owns property and with a little
adjustment could fit onto their Harlem Ave. property. All of this Partners
'99 LLC has rejected as options (based on their data they won't produce).
The parking garage now in use by Oak Park Hospital, can be rehabbed and can
have an additional structure added to it.

The room was packed with concerned residents who responded in sustained
applause after each of the speakers opposed to the rezoning proposal.
President Furlong requested the same demeanor for the Hospital's
representative. He basically said that some of the requested reports and
data was being culled and would at some point be available to the Village
and Oak Park residents. He request that the process towards approving the
proposal be advanced to the next stage. The Board of Trustees voted to send
it to the Planning Commission.

R.U.S.H. will be holding a public meeting at Fox Center on Sunday, July 18th from 7pm - 9pm and the Trustees were invited.

Randy