Developers looking to put assisted living facility in Algonquin

To help rectify feelings of isolation that seniors may have had during the pandemic, developers are looking to open an assisted living facility in Algonquin that has a residential feel and a visiting room made specifically to account for COVID-19 concerns.

Called Pathways Homes Senior Living, the proposed development, consisting of three senior living facilities, would be at the southwest corner of Huntington Drive and Stonegate Road, according to village documents.

With 16 beds in each facility, residents could choose to live in one of 12 private rooms or in one of the two additional semiprivate rooms, developers said. Spouses, for example, could opt for the semiprivate rooms.

These three facilities combined would have 42 rooms and 48 beds, with dedicated areas for activities, dining, a kitchen, salon, laundry and living room and a private bathroom in each room.

Staff would be at the facility 24/7, and each building would have an apartment above it so staff could sleep there overnight, per the pitch made to village officials Tuesday night.

The developers, Peter Nelson and Bruce Johnson, who came in front of Algonquin's Committee of the Whole to present the plan have parents who have aged, Johnson said.

In 2016, Nelson and Johnson came up with the idea for a homier place for seniors to live in. Their vision was solidified as they saw the additional issues that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson said.

Because the older population is especially vulnerable to complications from COVID-19, assisted living facilities and nursing homes had to restrict visitors and put social distancing guidelines in place to prevent spreading the highly infectious virus.

Even in the best-case scenarios, where residents on the first floor of these facilities could see their loved ones through windows, a lot of seniors were still isolated during the pandemic, Johnson said.

With this in mind, he said, Nelson and Johnson wanted to build a place that addressed the issues that came with the COVID-19 lockdown.

To do this, a room with direct access to the outdoors for when people visit residents is planned for Pathways.

The specifics of the room still need to be worked out, Nelson said after the meeting, but there will be a physical separation between the visitors and residents.

When the pandemic ends, the room could be used as a flex space for multiple purposes, including more normal family gatherings, Nelson said.

Developers emphasized that although they will have employees at the facility all the time to assist the residents, they want people to feel like this is their home, with common living and dining areas and shared kitchen space.

"If they want to go and bake cookies in the afternoon, they've got someone that can help them at the oven, that can help prep things," Johnson said.

As far as a timeline for construction, Nelson said, the development team is looking to break ground this coming spring.

Part of the development team's goal is for Pathways is for it to blend into the surrounding buildings, Nelson said, and they are sensitive to the residences around the proposed assisted living facility.

Another part of developers' plans includes detached single-family homes along Huntington Drive.

Plans for Pathways Homes Senior Living are still conceptual, and changes could be made to them before they are officially approved by the village board.

On Tuesday, trustees were able to talk to developers about concerns and suggestions they had for these plans.

Trustee Bob Smith said the development would likely need more parking space. Developers said the majority of Pathways residents will probably not drive, but Smith said employees would.

"I think we have an opportunity here to have more parking spaces if we need to," Johnson said in response.