Affordable housing apartments proposed for former quarry site in Batavia

An affordable housing apartment building is being proposed for a former limestone quarry site in Batavia.

The Fox River Affordable Housing Corp., in conjunction with the Housing Authority of Elgin, is proposing a three-story, 72-unit building at 400 S. River St. (Route 25).

The Residences at River Point is estimated to cost $24.2 million. The developer is asking for $1.2 million in aid from the city.

The Batavia City Council will discuss the matter at its committee-of-the-whole meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

According to a memo, The Residences at River Point would set aside one-quarter of the apartments for households making 30% or less of the area median income. Roughly half would be earmarked for households making 60% or less of the AMI, and the rest would be for those making 80% or less of the AMI.

According to the federal Housing and Urban Development Department, the AMI for the Chicago metropolitan area, which includes Kane County, is $50,976 for a four-person household.

Batavia is being asked to sign a letter indicating it is willing to consider an affordable housing development, including providing financial aid. The letter would be sent to the Illinois Housing Development Authority to support the developer’s request for other financial help. It is applying for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.

The letter would not commit the city to approving the development, according to the memo. It would still have to go through the city’s zoning and permitting process.

The $1.2 million would come from Batavia’s Tax Increment Financing District 3, which was established in 2005 to help development in the downtown.

The site is currently zoned for industrial use.

Batavia is in the jurisdiction of the Housing Authority of Elgin.