Algonquin to consider independent senior housing project
Developers have proposed constructing a 60-unit independent senior living facility on the far west side of Algonquin.
Preliminary plans, which were presented to the village board last month, call for the three-story rental apartment complex to be built on Wentworth Drive just south of West Algonquin Road. Trustees gave an early thumbs-up to the concept and indicated they would be in favor of rezoning the property from business to multifamily residential, Community Development Director Russ Farnum said.
"There's a growing need for senior housing because none of us are getting any younger," he said. "As the baby boomers reach retirement age and beyond, there's a very large proportion of our population that is rapidly reaching the age where you'd move into senior housing."
DKI Incorporated is expected to develop more comprehensive design plans and formally apply for a zoning change, both of which would have to go through the village's approval process, Farnum said. A timeline for the project has not yet been determined.
The senior facility would likely house about 70 residents 55 and older, according to village documents. It would only offer independent living apartments, unlike the recently opened Clarendale of Algonquin senior community, which also provides assisted living and memory care services.
DKI in recent years built a similar independent senior community, as well as an affordable townhouse complex, in Lake in the Hills. The company has been working with Algonquin staff members to find a property on which to build another senior facility, Farnum said.
If built, he said, the proposed project would provide the infrastructure necessary to develop the adjacent retail outlots facing West Algonquin Road. The site also backs up to a residential area with walking paths.
The senior housing facility would be transitional between the two uses, Farnum said.