Palatine council OKs housing for people with disabilities
A plan to build a 44-unit housing development for people will disabilities was unanimously approved by the Palatine village council Monday night, three years after the developer first attempted to build in the village.
Spruce Village will be built by Up Development and located at 498 Spruce Drive, near Rand and Hicks roads on the north side of Palatine.
The council approved the plan in less than 30 minutes, and no one in the audience spoke out against it, which was a stark contrast to the reaction to the developer's plan in 2013 to build nearer to central Palatine at 345 N. Eric Drive. That proposal drew complaints from residents and a rejection from the village council. After that rejection, Up Development unsuccessfully sued the village.
But since then the two sides have worked together.
Jessica Berzac, vice president for Up Development, commended the village staff for working with the company to find a place for people with disabilities.
"We literally receive phone calls every day from people who need housing of this type," Berzac said. "We are very honored to provide that answer."
Palatine Village Manager Reid Ottesen said it was an example of good things happening when people worked together.
"No one was saying there wasn't a need," Ottesen said of the previous plan. "I think there were just a lot of questions of is this the right location. ... Fortunately this all worked out."
According to village documents, Spruce Village will provide tenants with services including case management, vocational training, assistance with health care management, community living skills and substance abuse treatment. The services will be provided by Kenneth Young Center, Alexian Center for Mental Health and Volunteers of America.
Residents considered for Spruce Village will include adults with disabilities who are capable of independent living.
After the meeting, Berzac - who needed to hurry to the Arlington Heights village board meeting where Up Development's plan for a 16-unit apartment building for people with disabilities was going to be discussed - was surrounded by well-wishers, some of whom asked how they could be put on the Spruce Village waitlist.
Berzac said the soonest construction could start is the fall, but if the company isn't able to secure funding in time, construction likely would start when the ground thaws next spring.