Former St. Mary's hospital in DeKalb set for public hearing review Wednesday

DeKALB – A plan to convert a long-vacant building at 145 Fisk Ave. into a 40-room hotel will be the subject of a public hearing at a Wednesday meeting of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

In an unusual move, the city has asked project developer Nick Cronauer to come before the commission at least two more times to give people living nearby and the public an opportunity to voice their opinions on the ambitious project. Cronauer, a partner in the law firm Burns, Cronauer and Brown in Sycamore, has since put together a detailed sketch plan for review.

City Manager Bill Nicklas said Wednesday’s meeting will be just a workshop.

"It's a conceptual update," Nicklas said of the in-depth sketch plan. "We gave this a little more, in terms of notice, than we normally would because this is something that is going to have zoning impact, traffic impact, and stormwater impact."

Nicklas said plan commissioners will not recommend any course of action Wednesday. Rather, they will provide feedback to Cronauer, who will appear for another public hearing later.

On Dec. 18, DeKalb City Council members earmarked $2.5 million in tax increment proceeds from the tax increment financing district known as TIF 2 to help fund the project, which Cronauer estimates will cost $7.1 million. The council's approval was not final, since the project must go forward for Cronauer to receive the money.

The building was used as St. Mary’s Hospital until the mid-1960s, and later was used by District 428 as administrative offices. It has been vacant since the early 1990s.

In addition to hotel rooms, Cronauer’s plans for the building include banquet space, a distillery room and a restaurant and bar on the 5,000-square-foot lower level. The four-story, 24,000-square-foot building is classified as a “shell” due to the significant amount of interior demolition.

The sketch plan includes 54 parking spaces. Cronauer is also investigating purchasing the adjacent home to the east of the building, 201 Fisk Ave., to provide improved access from Fisk Ave. and allow for additional parking, according to the plan.

According to the sketch plan materials, the city engineer has reviewed the plan and no major site concerns were identified. Cronauer will be required to complete a traffic study.

The commission meeting begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the council chambers at the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 S. Fourth St.