Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago received state approval to build a $480 million pediatric hospital in Downers Grove.
The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board (HFSRB) approved Lurie Children's Certificate of Need (CON) application on Nov. 5, according to a Lurie Children's news release. Lurie Children's called the approval "a significant milestone" in its efforts to expand pediatric care in the western suburbs.
The project appeared on the HFSRB's Nov. 5 board meeting agenda under applications subsequent to initial review. The hospital would be Lurie Children's first inpatient facility outside its main Streeterville campus in Chicago.
What the hospital will include
The proposed facility would span approximately 298,000 square feet at 3300 Lacey Road in the Esplanade at Locust Point development, near the intersection of I-88 and I-355. According to the news release, planned services include an emergency department, 48 inpatient beds, operating rooms, diagnostic imaging and outpatient services. Specialty care would cover oncology, cardiology, gastroenterology and orthopedics.
Patch reported that the plans call for a five-story hospital building and a two-story outpatient clinic on a 13.2-acre site. The design includes a helipad linked to the emergency department for patient transfers to the Chicago campus.
A design-build team led by Clayco, with Skender, ZGF and LJC, is handling the project, according to the Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation.
Timeline and next steps
Lurie Children's said site excavation would begin in December 2026 and the hospital would see its first patient in spring 2029. Both milestones depend on the Village of Downers Grove releasing building permits. The village held a first reading on proposed amendments to the site's planned unit development (PUD) to allow hospital use, but the status of a final vote and permit release is not yet clear from available records.
Tom Shanley, MD, president and CEO of Lurie Children's, said in the news release that the approval advances the hospital's commitment to meeting the needs of children and families across the region by expanding its presence in the western suburbs.
Why Downers Grove
Lurie Children's has said about 47% of children in the western suburbs must leave their communities to receive inpatient pediatric care. The need is growing. More than 20 community hospitals in the Chicago area have closed their pediatric units since 2012, the Chicago Tribune reported, citing a previous Lurie filing with the state board.
The new facility would also consolidate services currently provided at Lurie Children's Outpatient Center in Westchester, according to the June 2026 CON filing. Lurie Children's said the project would be funded through a combination of cash reserves, philanthropy and bond financing.
Downers Grove Mayor Bob Barnett, in a statement when the project was first announced in January 2026, called the facility "a significant and needed investment in local health infrastructure and pediatric health."
At a March 12, 2026, community meeting at the DoubleTree Hotel on Butterfield Road, about 150 people attended. Of 33 who completed a survey, 31 said they were excited about the project.
