Hopefully Google will open source the container based approach they use for enabling Android apps on Chrome OS
http://arstechnica.co.uk/gadgets/2016/05/chrome-os-android-a...
There's a (presumably unofficial) desktop port of OsmAnd (called offroad) although I don't know how stable it is/how it's implemented. I agree that a fully functional and more general compatibility layer could be rather useful.
I think Android app compatibility is necessary for a Linux phone. You won't be able to use Play Services, but a lot of apps do not require that. Android compatibility would for instance give you WhatsApp. It also gives you access to hardware like activity monitors (Garmin and Withings apps don't require play services), which otherwise is very unlikely to be supported. And also sophisticated public transport apps like Moovit.