Algonquin eyeing next steps for senior housing project
A senior housing development introduced last year in Algonquin is gaining momentum as village officials consider the project's next steps.
The proposed facility, which would be constructed and operated by Denver-based Spectrum Retirement Communities, would include independent and assisted living options, as well as memory care, Algonquin Senior Planner Ben Mason said. It would be developed off Harnish Drive, just west of Randall Road.
"It would appear there is an increase in demand as just the demographics are changing and the population is aging in the overall region," Mason said. "It will provide a housing type and facility that will be a benefit to local residents to be able to stay potentially close to where they grew up, where they lived (or) near family."
Trustees acting as a committee of the whole this week approved the project's final plat of subdivision - a move that allows preliminary site work to begin if the village board ratifies the vote next week. Developers also could move forward with extending Millbrook Drive through the property to Harnish Drive, Mason said.
Final plans for the building will be considered by the village board this fall after developers finish updating the design and floor plans, Mason said. Preliminary development plans, which were approved in May 2017, included 160 residential units and various amenities such as a bistro, a wellness spa, a library and gathering areas.
"A development like this is a good fit in terms of providing a transition from single-family residential subdivisions (to the south and west) to the commercial along Randall Road," Mason said.
The senior living facility would be constructed on about 10 acres of the 30-acre property owned by Spectrum Acquisition Algonquin, LLC, Mason said. The remaining land is expected to be sold to another builder for future development, he said, noting early plans called for the construction of a multifamily residential subdivision.
Developers hope to begin construction on the senior housing project next spring, Mason said. A target opening date has not been determined.