Elmhurst Memorial One Step Closer to 192-foot Tower

Aldermen took the first step Monday toward approval of a plan that would allow Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare to construct a 192-foot communications tower at its Church Court Business Center. The tower would have nine microwave dishes and would allow EMH facilities, including the new hospital at York and Roosevelt roads opening this summer, to have immediate communication with each other. The additional height is needed because the dishes need to be in the line of sight of other towers.

Following council policy, aldermen approved a report by the Development, Planning and Zoning Committee. An ordinance allowing the tower should be on the agenda at the next council meeting. The Zoning and Planning Commission have also turned in a positive recommendation on the project.

Sixth Ward Alderman and DPZ Committee chairman Steve Morley said the tower was “imperative” and “allows critical care to operate at various facilities.”

Morley explained that EMH is currently using space on the DuPage Public Safety Communications (DuComm) tower near Interstate 290, which is 200 feet high but has no additional space at the top of the tower for EMH to use. Also, this tower cannot hold the microwave dishes that EMH needs.

The hospital considered placing the tower at the new campus but decided it would be too close to homes. The new tower would be in an industrial area, a location Morley described as “about as far away from residential as you're going to find in the city.”

“I think the Elmhurst Memorial folks really did their homework,” Morley said.

Third Ward Alderman Michael Bram, however, was concerned that the tower, if approved, would be taller than similar structures that had been OK'd in the past. He admitted that the structure would be far from large residential areas but insisted that, at almost 200 feet, it would be “significant.”

“It's something I would prefer not to see on the horizon,” he said.

He asked what other hospitals in the area do to accommodate the need for uninterrupted digital communication. Morley replied that this question was not “germane” to the discussion, as each health care organization has different needs. EMH, he emphasized, has 18 locations.

First Ward Alderman Paula Pezza expressed concern that allowing EMH to construct such a large tower would set a precedent for other organizations to request the same from the city. While EMH has said they would be willing to share tower space with the city or other organizations, they were not at this time interested in profiting from renting space on the tower. Pezza said she appreciated this, but wondered if the council was opening the door for businesses to make money leasing tower space.

Third Ward Alderman Susan Rose said that the approval would be for a “conditional use,” and that the council could tell the next applicant that their request does not meet the conditions. Second Ward Alderman Norman Leader emphasized that it was the city's duty to ensure the health and safety of its citizens, and that approving the tower would fall under that mandate.

Bram and Pezza voted against the report.