Village Board Considers Assisted Living Proposal

The New Lenox Village Board on Monday held a public hearing on a request by the potential buyers of on Cedar Road to covert several of the apartments in the new memory care unit from single-person-only apartments to allow for married couples or same-sex relatives.

While the apartments range in size from 264- to 300-square feet, they have one bathroom and a single closet. The potential buyer, Focus Health Care Partners, is seeking to open the facility for more residents. Already, four of the five buildings are filled to capacity, said Paul Froning of Focus Health Care.

The issues highlighted concerned parking, the number of double occupancy apartments and closet space.

Trustee Annette Bowden was particularly concerned about the closet space and the need for individuals to have enough room for personal storage. Village planning administrator Robin Ellis said it's atypical for the village to involve itself in the interior setting of facilities; however, in this instance it very well could lend itself to addressing such items.

Bowden posed the idea of assuring at least a wardrobe that would provide enough space for both apartment dwellers. Trustee Nancy Dye chimed in to agree with Bowden's sentiments.

"With the memory loss," it's good for the individuals to be able to identify exactly which items belong to them and which don't, Dye said.

Froning later said studies show that double occupancy rooms can have a "therapeutic effect" for the memory care patients. "Having a roomate gives them a sense of stability."

The number of double occupancy units would be capped. There shall be a maximum of 20 residents in each of the five buildings, for a total of 100 residents in 80 bedroom units for the entire assisted-living and memory care development, according to the annexation amendment agreement for Paradise Park.  

As for the parking, trustee Ray Tuminello was comfortable after Cass Wennlund, a New Lenox-based attorney representing Focus Health Care, said an analysis of the parking situation at the assisted living facility showed that the bulk of spaces remain empty the majority of the time.

For instance, in a two-day study of the parking habits at the 6-acre facility, it showed that 25 vehicles were parked on site one day and 26 on the other. The total number of available parking stalls was 62.

Trustees agreed that parking was not likely to be a problem.

Special Rec. Waiver

In other business, the board approved an updated site plan and building code waiver to assist the Lincoln-Way Special Recreation Association in its plan to construct a two-story, 23,000-square-foot recreation center on Heather Glen Drive, near the store along Laraway Road.

In an attempt to cut costs for a project overseen by architects, Olivieri Brothers, Inc. of Frankfort, architect Christopher Algmin stated in a letter to the village that the plan had been altered.

"Olivieri Brothers has been asked to cut a significant portion of the costs without affecting program spaces to still qualify for the $2.5 million PARC (Park and Recreational Facility Construction Act) grant," according to Algmin.

The particular point of interest was the use of a composite wood siding panel instead of a cement fiber board on the first level of the building. Because the village ordinance demands cement fiber for the first floor, Algmin addressed the board.

Relying on professional studies, Algmin told the board that the alternate solution was a less expensive and sound solution. Although the board was not fully convinced of the long-term qualities of composite wood siding, trustees agreed to the proposal.

Mayor Tim Baldermann and Tuminello concurred with the notion that because the request was on behalf of the trusted LWSRA, they would support the change. "I wouldn't want to take money away from the programs," Tuminello said.