The Cook County Board eagerly approved a privately funded, $700M plan to redevelop the old Cook County Hospital site yesterday. The project, spearheaded by Civic Health Development Group, will take nearly 15 years and four phases to complete.

The sole county commissioner to vote against the redevelopment was Richard Boykin (1st), who said the county should focus on more pressing matters like curbing gun violence, instead. County Board president Toni Preckwinkle said she was disappointed in Boykin's stance, reiterated the plan will cost county taxpayers nothing, and added her administration has already allocated large amounts of resources toward fighting crime, DNA Info reports.

The redevelopment would include offices, two hotels, apartments and tech/research facilities and a $108.5M outpatient facility. While the main County Hospital facility will be stabilized and rehabbed, three other buildings will be demolished. Federal historic tax credits will be used in the project to preserve the hospital building. [DNA]