After being rejected, proposed supported living center in Des Plaines will get another look
A plan for a four-story, supported living center in Des Plaines that was rejected by the city council earlier this month has new life.
Council members on Monday night unanimously voted to reconsider the proposal at a future meeting. A date for the new discussion wasn’t set.
Heritage Woods of Des Plaines had been proposed for vacant land at 2200 E. Golf Road. The target clientele would be people 65 and older who are ambulatory but require help with routine activities, such as cooking, bathing or dressing.
Supported living facilities offer similar services as assisted living centers but also provide financial aid through Medicaid and other programs.
After a lengthy presentation and discussion during the May 5 council meeting, aldermen voted 6-2 to deny a requested permit for an assisted living facility and a request to establish a planned unit development on the site.
Several alderman voiced concern about Fire Chief Matt Matzl’s assertion that firefighters and paramedics would field between 225 and 250 emergency calls each year at Heritage Woods.
Alderman Dick Sayad of the 4th Ward questioned whether older residents on the building’s upper floors could safely navigate a stairwell if they had to flee the building because of a fire.
The company’s choice of facade materials concerned some aldermen, too.
Since that discussion, however, two of the city council members who voted against the plan — the 1st Ward’s Mark Lysakowski and 5th Ward’s Carla Brookman — ended their service. Margaret Chlebek is the new 1st Ward alderwoman and Thomas Merlin now represents the 5th Ward.
Mayor Andrew Goczkowski added the proposal to Monday’s agenda because council members wanted to reconsider it, a city spokesperson said.