Rush University Medical Center got the green light from a city panel Thursday for its proposed 530,000-square-foot cancer and neurological care facility next to its existing campus in the Illinois Medical District.
The hospital system unveiled its $473 million plan last month for the 11-story building, which would be built on a 367,000-square-foot property at the intersection of Ashland Avenue and Harrison Street.
Members of the Chicago Plan Commission voted unanimously in favor of the project Thursday.
The new building, designed by architect HDR, would connect to Rush’s existing star-shaped facility at 1630 West Harrison Street via a skybridge across Ashland Avenue. Construction would include a six-story parking garage with a planned 1,200 spaces.
Rush officials have said they plan to fund the project through a combination of operating revenue and debt refinancing. They aim to open the new facility by 2022.
The semi-public Illinois Medical District, which oversees more than 500 acres with dozens of hospital and health care tenants on the Near West Side, netted $40 million this year when it sold off 26 acres to private buyers.
This spring, Civic Health Development Group broke ground nearby on its redevelopment of the 345,000-square-foot former Cook County Hospital at 1835 West Harrison Street.