PC to consider Ronald McDonald addition

The City Planning Commission will consider a proposal for a building addition to the Ronald McDonald House at their meeting today.

The Ronald McDonald House wants to build a three-story, 32,000-square-foot addition over a 20-car parking garage, which will all be connected by a second-floor bridge to its existing building at Burnet and Erkenbrecher avenues in Avondale.

To do so, a zoning change from RM-1.2 Residential Multi-family and RMX Residential Mixed to PD Planned Development District is necessary because the current zoning does not allow for patient family homes.

The addition would add 32 patient suites to the 48 suites the Ronald McDonald House currently has.

The Ronald McDonald House cares for nearly 1,100 families per year, with a nightly waiting list of between 25 and 50 families.

Last year, 825 families were turned away due to lack of space.

A public hearing in October between the Ronald McDonald House and neighboring property owners resulted in no objections to the plans.

The plan has not yet been presented in front of the Avondale Community Council.

If the concept plan and PD are approved by the City Planning Commission, it will go to City Council's Economic Development Committee before a Council vote.