Hospitality house passes plan commission, heads to council

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SYCAMORE - Sycamore resident Mary Lou Eubanks is one step closer to achieving her dream of opening a hospitality house for people visiting loved ones at Kindred Hospital. She went before the plan commission Monday to get the idea and the home she's selected for the facility approved. Next week, she'll seek the city council's approval. Eleven commission members voted in favor of allowing Eubanks to convert a home she owns at 719 Somonauk St. into temporary housing for people visiting patients at the hospital. Commission member David Hamilton abstained. Kindred provides care for people with severe illnesses that require the use of ventilators. Patients come from throughout northern Illinois and often their families can't afford to stay long in hotels or travel to and from home each day to visit them, Eubanks has said. The home would be designed to provide visitors with inexpensive and comfortable housing near the hospital. "There is a need for this house," Mayor John Swedberg said during a meeting when the idea was first brought about. "Eubanks should be commended for this." She closed on the home on Nov. 30. She intends to begin work to renovate and bring it up to city code for a hospitality house as soon as she receives council approval. The home will be the first of its kind in the DeKalb-Sycamore area. Before the commission's vote, member John McBride voiced a resident's concerns that the home's operators might alter it so that it would no longer conform with the rest of the historic neighborhood. But the point of hospitality houses is to be as homey as possible and give visitors the comforts of home, Eubanks said, so the appearance would remain that of a single-family home, although it might house three families at a time. Commission member Tom Brotcke wondered whether the home would be supervised at all hours. Volunteers will run the home during the day, but it will be unsupervised after they leave, Eubanks said. "If we thought Sycamore was a community warranting surveillance, we would pursue that," Eubanks said. She said she doesn't expect the lack of nighttime supervision to cause problems because hospital staff will screen people wanting to stay there and most visitors simply will be grateful for the assistance. Also Monday: --The commission decided to recommend a final plat for the North Grove Crossing townhomes. With council approval, the 25 four-unit townhouse buildings will occupy 11 acres north of Plank Road and east of Luther Lowell Lane. Builder Dave Fagenal expects prices of the homes to start in the $150,000s. --The commission also forwarded its OK of the final plan for an 11-home subdivision called Brickville Estates. The single-family homes will lie on 6.17 acres at Brickville and Freed roads. Renee Messacar can be reached at rmessacar@pulitzer.net.