Arlington Heights OKs $70 million expansion at The Moorings

Residents of The Moorings in Arlington Heights showed up by the dozens to Monday night's village board meeting to show support for the proposed $70 million expansion to the retirement community.

The village board approved the variations necessary for the renovations, which will include a new assisted-living building, a building specially suited for memory-care patients and a fellowship hall all in the center of the 42-acre property along Central Road.

Residents filled the village board room wearing pins that read “I love The Moorings,” and several spoke in support of the project.

George Richter said he and his wife recently moved to The Moorings after more than 40 years in their home in Park Ridge.

“Our list of needs were few: We wanted a financially sound organization and a well-managed operation that we could call our home for our remaining years in life's journey, so The Moorings was our choice,” Richter said.

He added that the continuum of care provided at The Moorings from independent living through assisted living and nursing care makes residents feel safe that they will not need to be uprooted in the last years of life.

“No matter how it is expressed, aging involves incremental losses,” said Bill Dillon, president of The Moorings' residents association. “The new assisted-living unit will provide facilities where this further loss will not be as challenging as it currently is.”

The first phase of the two-year project would be to build a four-story assisted-living building with 70 units that are mostly one-bedroom spaces. The existing building will be torn down and replaced with a fellowship hall and memory care facility.

The new fellowship hall will hold worship services and multipurpose activities for residents.

“The men and women at The Moorings come from all walks of life. They are of all faiths and share and care for one another,” said resident Margaret Johnson. “They are the soul of the community, and the fellowship hall will be its heart. It will be the center of community life.”

The memory care building will be one-story, with a basement, and have 20 individual suites dedicated primarily to patients with Alzheimer's and dementia. Currently those patients are housed with others in skilled care, but officials said the building would give them their own area in a more “homelike” environment.

More than 450 people live at The Moorings in a mix of independent-living villas, assisted-living units and skilled care nursing rooms. The project approved Monday will add between seven and 10 units to the property.

“We very much appreciate The Moorings bring a good community partner in the village,” said Village President Tom Hayes.

Construction will start in the spring and is expected to take 2½ years.