Rolling Meadows assisted living facility set to expand

An assisted living facility in Rolling Meadows plans to expand its footprint to meet a growing demand.

Plum Creek Supportive Living, 2801 Algonquin Road, will build a four-story, 52-unit addition on its vacant property next door, after receiving the necessary zoning approvals from the city council.

The 53,000-square-foot addition will serve additional residents, as the current building is often fully occupied and there is “a pronounced need” for supportive living services, Plum Creek officials said.

After expansion, there will be 150 apartments on the 2.77-acre site.

Lake Zurich-based developer Monoceros Corp. is the contract purchaser of the senior home from Niles First RE LLC controlled by Oak Brook business owner Paul Khanna.

Plum Creek opened in 1997, and added 27 apartments in 2004 and four more in 2005.

The neighboring plot of land at 2885 Algonquin Road has been vacant for nearly a decade after a 7,600-square-foot building was torn down. A proposal for an adult day care facility there in 2012 was later rescinded.

The busy corridor on the south side of Rolling Meadows includes a mix of light industrial, retail/restaurant, and multifamily residential properties. Plum Creek abuts condominiums to the south, a collision repair business to the east, and Korean karaoke bar to the west.

Robert Savage, a Rolling Meadows city planner and management analyst, endorsed the senior home’s expansion plans, calling them “suitable and congruent” with the general development patterns along Algonquin Road.

“While it may be possible that there is a higher land use for the lot, the long-term disinvestment and subsequent vacancy, along with lagging commercial development investments more broadly, indicates that this is an advantageous development,” Savage wrote in a report.

Aldermen granted the project a special use permit and variations for height and setbacks, which officials say are consistent with the existing building envelope.

For example, that means a 37-foot height instead of the 30 feet allowed under city code. But Savage noted neighboring building heights commonly range from 35 feet to 40 feet.

The city council will require Plum Creek to remove its pole sign — not permitted in the code — and replace it with a smaller monument sign, before issuing a certificate of occupancy.

The redevelopment calls for a new fire access lane at the west and south perimeter, a 8,450-cubic-foot pond to handle stormwater, 17 new trees and 50 parkway plants, and sidewalks throughout.