Politics & Government

Developer Pleads Case to Village Over Senior Housing Proposal

The New Lenox Village Board again voiced concern with the location of the project, which would be just south of the Speedway gas station at Laraway Road and Calistoga Drive.

Senior citizens in New Lenox would be "disturbed" if the village didn't amend an annexation agreement to allow for a senior housing project, developer Bill Bolker said Monday night.

"As a lifetime resident of New Lenox, I’m greatly disappointed," he said to trustees during the Village Board meeting. "The people in this town are going to be disappointed. The people who have been paying taxes for 30, 40 years are the senior citizens."

Bolker wants to build a 50-unit, age- and income-restricted building on a 3-acre lot just south of the Speedway gas station at Laraway Road and Calistoga Drive. Private companies funding the project would receive federal tax credits, not the developer. To receive those credits, though, the project must meet certain Fair Housing Act and IRS standards that include the age and income restrictions.

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On Monday, Bolker said he already has preliminary approval from the state. But the Village Board trustees weren't as supportive; they said they recognized the need for senior housing but weren't sure the proposed location was best.

"This board has never, ever taken a position against senior housing," trustee Nancy Dye said, adding that their concerns are strictly because of the location.

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In fact, the Village Board approved a similar senior apartment building last year, though it didn't receive the necessary tax credits to move forward. 

For months, neighbors in the adjacent Water Chase subdivision have voiced their opposition to the project, agreeing it wasn't the best spot for senior housing. Currently, New Lenox Township operates a senior complex but has a waiting list of more than 70 residents. 

"We have the ideal spot," Bolker argued Monday, citing that it's near the Berkot's Super Foods and Calistoga Plaza shopping. But the village trustees weren't so sure. 

At previous meetings, members argued that a senior complex, which wouldn't generate sales tax, shouldn't go into the spot that is currently zoned for a commercial property. 

To allow the senior housing in that location, the Village Board would need to amend the original annexation agreement with Bolker. If the board votes not to amend it, trustees won't even discuss the senior housing project. 

The board could decide that at its next meeting, which is at 7 p.m. June 25 in .

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