New Senior Housing Proposed for Grayslake
Mercy Housing held an open house to discuss Grayslake Senior Apartments, a new development proposed on Belvidere and Neville roads.
Mercy Housing is proposing a new 70-unit senior housing community in Grayslake. Residents got a chance to see the plans and ask questions during a open house on April 7.
Mercy Housing, a national leader in developing senior housing, plans to develop Grayslake Senior Apartments. It would be new construction on Belvidere and Neville Roads to serve residents age 55 and older.
Lisa Kuklinski, vice president of public affairs, explained Mercy Housing owns and operates 40,000 housing units situated in urban and rural communities. They are designed to be part of the community.
“We’ve taken great care to design a building that looks a lot like the beautiful homes around the lake and around downtown,” Kuklinski said.
Of the 70 units, 63 will feature one bedroom and seven will include one bedroom and a den. All senior housing units will serve the people within the community it is situated.
Kuklinski said they expect all units will be filled through outreach to Grayslake congregations, senior centers and senior organizations. If spaces remain, they will extend outreach to Lake County. She added they are working with Lake County United, a coalition of 39 congregations to extend outreach.
The units will serve residents with incomes ranging from $15,800 to $31,600 for a one-person household and between $18,010 to $36,100 for a two-person household. Kuklinski said this building is meant to serve people who are living on Social Security.
“We hope families who live in Grayslake will bring their parents from surrounding areas to live closer to them. That is really the goal of this development,” she said.
Some residents have voiced concerns about the building, fearful it may increase crime and reduce property values. Kuklinski said this will be a secure, locked facility that will increase the village’s revenue. She said adds they conduct criminal background checks and deny those who have committed certain crimes to move into the development.
The Village of Grayslake requested that Mercy Homes hold the open house. Kuklinski said it was important to hold a live event to share the facts.
“It is important to know we are going to be serving the exact same population as Library Lane. We have the same financing as Library Lane. I would ask them to see if Library Lane has increased crime. Has Library Lane reduced their property values?” she said.
Looking for affordable housing, Mary Ann Guisinger said she moved to an apartment complex in Fox Lake that features 102 units but little parking and laundry facilities. She said Grayslake needs decent, affordable housing for seniors.
“Not all can afford to have their parents live with them. Many of us live alone and need affordable housing,” she said, adding. “For each person who moves in, it’s another person who will shop locally.”
Ken Gutowski, who has lived along Lake Street for 30 years, said he wonders as the Rockenbach dealership sits idle along Route 120 how this building will be maintained and will fit aesthetically in the village.
“The entryway to our village is Route 120. But if you put up a building that is not going to be maintained, it is not good,” Gutowski said. “I don’t want a new eyesore 10 to 15 years from now.”
Mercy Housing will meet with the village zoning board Monday and their recommendation will be brought to the village board later this month. If the project receives board approval, construction would begin late summer and will last 12 to 14 months.
Brad Faxton
11:30 am on Friday, April 8, 2011
So, Library Lane residents are government handout folks too?
“It is important to know we are going to be serving the exact same population as Library Lane. We have the same financing as Library Lane. I would ask them to see if Library Lane has increased crime. Has Library Lane reduced their property values?”
Diane
9:30 am on Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Grayslake already has Library Lane and Saddlebrook Farms for Senior living, why do we need more? Or is there something more to this?
Bearcat
8:09 pm on Wednesday, April 13, 2011
I live right there off of 120, just immediately west of the proposed development and the comments about not wanting old people to have a serene place to retire is ridiculous! Library Lane is a great place, but we already have Library Lane, put your development in another town! The traffic is horrible already - why don't we focus on doing something about 120 traffic first, before adding another 100 people to an already congested little area. Has anyone thought about that? We are landlocked in! From Lake Street to Bluff Ave. it takes me 10 minutes sometimes...that's crazy! How about doing a traffic study on what this could add to that. I can't imagine the Pace bus stopping there every day, all day and how much worse traffic could get. Also, the tax dollar comment is a little silly since an $18,000 condo really isn't going to reel in the tax dollars for the village, yet all those people will be benefitting from/using the services of the town. The middle class people can't keep picking up the tab for everyone else, we can barely afford our taxes in Grayslake! The property value of our house and everyone else's is disgusting...how is this supposed to help? It won't, it can only hurt it and don't tell me it won't.
Softball Jim
10:36 am on Thursday, April 14, 2011
Bearcat,
Take a breath and breath a little slower. Are you seriously thinking that because there is already a senior complex on Library ln, we should not allow another development that is similiar? Where do you expect the seniors in Grayslake to go to when they want to downsize thier house and still live in Grayslake. You expect them to move? The majority of your tax bill goes to whatever school district you currently reside. This development will have ZERO impact on the schools. In fact, it will only bring in tax dollars to the school, that do not have to come from your tax bill. Sure traffic may still be affected a little bit, but that will all depend on how many of the seniors drive. Otherwise, traffic sucks already and it will not have that big of an impact !
Bearcat
6:46 pm on Thursday, April 14, 2011
It's obvious "Softball Jim" from your comments you DON'T have to drive down 120 to get to your home. As I mentioned before, I'm not, nor do I think others are against seniors and serene senior living in Grayslake, it's all about location, location, location. This isn't the location for something like that and if that's the only place in town that's vacant (which it's not) then they need to look elsewhere to another town. Who said I was worried about the impact of the schools- I am not, obviously b/c it's a 55 and older development. However, police, fire, library would be affected...isn't that enough? You speak of tax dollars being brought in to our schools, again I say $18,000 condos hardly pays for the paper they'll use in the copy machine. A smaller business or single family homes fit both the proposed lot more adequately and do not add significantly to the extremely congested area. I am sorry you're ok with "traffic sucks already"...I am not - life is too short and we moved out of the city for that very reason.
Softball Jim
8:45 am on Friday, April 15, 2011
Bearcat,
So let me get this correct you are saying 70 $18K condos (1.2Mil) + other improvements is not going to be a positive impact on the schools. Then you say that these approximately 80 residents + maybe 10 staff members are going to have a large impact on your streets. Do you really think that a senior citizen who has to live in subsidised housing, can afford a car and gas as well? I think not. What is the impact you speak of on Police, Fire and Library. Is the Library going to have to put on a special Senior wing? Will the police need to put a substation at this facility? Do you expect senior gangbangers to occupy the facility. I will give you a few more ambulance calls a year for the Fire Department but that is about it.
Softball Jim
8:48 am on Friday, April 15, 2011
Oh, I also for to say. I do take Rt 120 to get to my house. I do spend plenty of time on Rt 120. As a lifelong Grayslake resident, I would like to point out that. Those who moved out of the city to avoid traffic, are the main reason for the increased traffic. You brought your cars, you impacted the schools, the police, the fire departments, the park district, the library etc. You wanted more services like the city had. But you still complain when your tax dollars increase. You can not have it both ways !
Bearcat
1:07 pm on Friday, April 15, 2011
Oh Softball Jim...you have all the answers don't you! Who says I'm not a lifelong resident of the area who's moved back? Who says I even have kids? Just b/c you claim you've been a lifelong resident doesn't mean you have the best opinion here nor need to pick at mine. If you're such a lifelong resident looking out for what's best, then you of all people should not be happy with just taking any proposal just to get whatever tax money you can. I always thought Grayslake had or could have standards...that's what made the town special. You can't have it both ways either... you seem to blame the city folk for the development of the area and then approve this one?!?!?! Funny. Also, I suggest that you take another look at the proposal before brushing off my concern about traffic. If these seniors aren't driving, then why the need for all the parking that is being proposed? Also, what "other improvements" are you speaking of besides the tax money is going to impact the schools? Yes....I do indeed think another 100 people in this area is going to HUGELY impact the streets IN THIS AREA...I am not opposed to picking some place else in town...there needs to be a plan with traffic on 120 before something like this could even begin to make sense to me!
PJ Dodgy
5:36 pm on Monday, May 16, 2011
The building is going to be a monstrosity - 72 feet tall. Really, that's what Mercy (finally) admitted.
So let's recap:
- this will kill the property value of everyone nearby. Some, immediately adjoining, will literally live in the shadow of this building.
- 18,000 cars a day pass this site. Just imagine the noise level a building facade 72 feet tall is going to reflect over grays lake, thereby affecting everyone who lives on the lake.
- Over 55 people use the library. They use the park district programs (there are entire divisions dedicated to senior programs!). They use police, fire, ambulance, etc. Yet Mercy has asked for - and will likely get - a TOTAL WAIVER of the customary impact fees you pay to the park district, library district, police, fire district, etc. So yeah, the schools aren't much impacted (though every senior project has a kid or two or ten living with grandma and grandpa). But everything else is.
- The additional traffic trying to turn left out of this site onto 120 during rush hour WILL have a big impact. Eventually, somebody is going to die trying to 'shoot the gap', particularly if their reflexes aren't what they used to be.
- Finally, the Village and Mercy have colluded to sneak this project past the citizenry - no notice to anyone other than a random post in the 'legal notice' section of the newspaper. Mercy gets all kinds of help. Actual citizens are ignored and have to hire lawyers just to get details on the Village's plans...
Bearcat
11:24 pm on Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Amen! Thank you PJ Dodgy. The best one yet is that Mercy did a traffic study and found that the development would not have an impact on the traffic-just shows you research is always set up to prove what they need it to! Mercy also said that grandchildren couldn't live with the seniors, but immediate children could. My own parents at 55 years old had a 15 year old at home! Don't underestimate how many children could be living there. The noise level is a good point, many people are scared that it will chase away the wildlife that live and visit the lake. I always thought zoning was in place to protect the village and neighborhoods, locally no one is at blame for the huge drop in our property values, but in this case...it's all in the zoning's hands whether or not it drops any further!
J.Newzome
4:41 pm on Thursday, October 18, 2012
BAH HUM BUG!