Commission approves Jill's House site

Jill's House is one step closer to laying a foundation. \nMonday night, the Bloomington Planning Commission approved a proposal to build Jill's House near Griffey Lake, which would be the culmination of the efforts by the organization of the same name. The goal of Jill's House is to build a house to temporarily accommodate family and friends of cancer patients receiving care at the IU Cyclotron Facility. The proposed house will be named after Jill Behrman, an IU student who was killed after disappearing on May 31, 2000. \nThe official ruling on the commission's approval hinges on a final review by the City Common Council.\nThe proposed land, adjacent to Griffey Lake, is currently owned by Meadowood \nRetirement Center. \nPreviously, the commission had denied requests to build on the land based on ecological concerns, said commission President Bill Stuebe. In the past, Griffey Lake was used for the city's water supply. While this use was abandoned more than 10 years ago, the commission remained reluctant to offer the land for building, as it is still used for recreation.\n"We probably would never have let any other facility be built in this area if we didn't feel it was for the \noverall betterment of the city," \nSteube said. \nEven though the commission finally approved the proposal for Jill's House, it isn't allowing construction without adherence to ecological mandates. Multiple studies were conducted in an attempt to minimize harmful effects, Steube said. As a result, a dozen limitations have been placed on the construction.\nAdditionally, any person who wants to take part in construction on city property -- from electricians to carpenters -- must go through one hour of ecological training, Steube said. \n"The owners of Meadowood will donate three acres of our property for (Jill's House)," said Meadowood Executive Director Susan Bookout. Ownership of the land will officially transfer to the \nnonprofit. \nIn addition to Jill's House, Meadowood will be adding a 60-bed assisted living building to its property and nine small, private homes, Steube said. A groundbreaking date has not been set but will be sometime after the first of the year, \nBookout said.