Seven-story apartment complex proposed on site of Rolling Meadows Holidome
A developer is shelving plans to convert a former Holiday Inn "Holidome" in Rolling Meadows into an assisted living/memory care facility, proposing instead to demolish the indoor atrium and build a seven-story apartment building of nearly 200 units in its place.
Sam Patel, who is finishing conversion of the former nine-story Holiday Inn at 3405 Algonquin Road into an Aloft hotel, says there's no longer a market for assisted living, despite plans approved by the city council in 2017 to break off the two-story, 170-room Holidome portion of the hotel and convert it to senior homes.
The developer also said the site isn't well-suited for a large-scale commercial use, but he is proposing some 7,600 square feet of retail on the first floor of the U-shaped apartment complex.
City officials want Patel to add a commercial outlot - preferably a restaurant - that would front Algonquin Road and be a draw to apartment residents and others nearby. He and his representative, Tom LaSalle, agreed to do a feasibility study at the city council's request, though expressed doubts a restaurant would be successful there in the current market.
"The challenge today is nobody wants to build a restaurant," LaSalle told aldermen during a committee meeting last week. "We're not going to get a restaurant in the near future."
The mayor and five aldermen present for the meeting were generally open to the overall redevelopment plans, which would require a zoning change from commercial to residential and amendment to the comprehensive plan.
"I do believe that this is a much-needed development," said Mayor Joe Gallo. "I think it does require careful consideration and working in a strong partnership with the developer and the property owner to make sure that we get everything aligned so that there's satisfaction to residents surrounding the area but also helping the community evolve."
The council's early receptiveness to the new plans included acceptance of the proposed seven-story building height, despite current city zoning limiting residential properties to five stories. But city officials also noted a number of office buildings on the south side of town are as much as 10 stories tall.
The proposed apartment building would include a mix of one- and two-bedroom units, a 2,400-square-foot rooftop outdoor plaza on the third floor, common area amenities, and recessed balconies. The development would have 747 parking spaces - about 100 more than is required by code - spread across a two-story garage, surface lots, and neighboring office building lot, per a shared easement agreement.
Jo Ellen Charlton, the city's assistant director of public works and community development, noted a number of considerations are still to be addressed through the planning process, including traffic movements and access to Algonquin Road, the building footprint versus more green space, and stormwater. But based on the council's positive feedback, she said her staff would continue to work with the developer to bring back a plan that's beneficial to the community, and what the developer "can tolerate financially as well."
Meanwhile, Patel said renovations on the neighboring Aloft that began in early 2020 are nearly complete, and an opening is expected in February or March. A Holiday Inn Express has remained open in the rear of the property.