DeKalb City Council Moves Forward with St. Mary’s Hospital Development

Plans to redevelop the former St. Mary’s Hospital building in DeKalb are advancing as the City Council voted against a measure that would have halted the project. During a meeting on December 5, 2023, City Manager Bill Nicklas provided an update on the vacant property located at 145 Fisk Ave. He announced that the project, which aims to transform the 103-year-old hospital into apartments, has achieved significant progress.

Nicklas mentioned that the city is now in possession of a final engineering plan, which was prepared by David Weber of Willett Hoffman. The council had previously directed city staff to finalize this plan by their first meeting in December, following a briefing on November 10. “We’ve reviewed it and we feel that it meets, essentially, our requirements,” Nicklas stated, emphasizing the city’s readiness to address any minor details needed for the project.

The proposal from local developer Jon Sauser seeks to convert the historic hospital into 32 apartments. The City Council had approved a zoning change three years ago to facilitate this redevelopment. Despite the delays encountered thus far, council members expressed optimism about the project’s future.

In a decisive move, the council unanimously rejected a measure that would have repealed the zoning approval for the project. Notably, Third Ward Alderman Tracy Smith was absent during the vote. With the rejection of this measure, the plans for the former St. Mary’s Hospital building will now be forwarded to the Planning and Zoning Commission for further review.

The community eagerly awaits the next steps, which will allow the City Council to provide additional input on the redevelopment. Should the project receive the necessary approvals, it aims to breathe new life into the historic structure, enhancing the local housing landscape.