Bartlett reviews concept for senior living facility

Bartlett village board members this week gave a largely supportive review to a concept plan for a 170-unit senior living facility and a commercial outlot building on a 10-acre site on the west side of Route 59, just south of Schick Road.

The concept plan by Kirco Ventures LLC of Troy, Michigan aims to provide the highest and best use of the site, estimated to generate four times the tax revenue than if it was entirely retail, the company's Development Consultant Michael Sedley said.

The plan calls for "market-rate" senior living, which simply means there's no entrance fee required, unlike a continuing care retirement community, he added.

The target clients are seniors already in Bartlett and middle-aged residents who want their aging parents to be closer.

"We identified right away that there was no market-rate independent and assisted living in Bartlett today," Sedley said. "We believe there's a significant pent-up demand for market-rate senior living in the independent-living and assisted-living sectors."

The current plan calls for six duplex cottages, with another 164 units for independent, assisted-living and memory care in other buildings ranging from one to four stories.

Kirco would secure at least an anchor tenant for the planned 12,000-square-foot commercial building near Route 59 before committing to its construction, Sedley said. The company anticipates spending about $1 million in predevelopment costs even before closing on the property near the end of the year.

Sedley emphasized Kirco retains ownership of its development projects even after construction is done.

About the only criticism trustees offered was the duplex cottages might be too close to the facility's other buildings in front and neighboring houses behind.

But village staff said their own early concerns about the taller buildings' heights were addressed by Kirco moving them farther away from the neighboring houses.

"I think it's a great concept," Village President Kevin Wallace said. "I would be very supportive."