Senior living facility eyeing Lake in the Hills

LAKE IN THE HILLS – Village trustees heard plans for a senior living facility that would be built in an 8-acre lot in the northwest corner of West Algonquin Road and Harvest Gate.

Cedarwood Development Inc. has submitted an application for a concept plan for the project, called Melody Living, which would hold 70 independent apartments, 60 assisted-living units and 26 memory care units.

An informational presentation on the development was given at the Jan. 10 Committee of the Whole meeting and received positive feedback, Lake in the Hills Community Development Director Michael Brown said.

“[Trustees] felt that it was an important project and were on board,” Brown said.

Project leaders will move forward with creating detailed development plans, Brown said, and submit the necessary zoning requests, including an amendment to the comprehensive plan, rezoning and conditional use permit.

Plans again would come before trustees before being finalized, Brown said.

The facility would include a great room, lounges, community life room, fitness center, dining room, casual cafe, physical therapy, medical office and spa, said Laura Hester, vice president of senior housing with Cedarwood Development. Scheduled transportation options also would be available.

Assisted-living and memory care units would be available in studio, one bedroom and two bedroom options, Hester said. Units would start at $3,700 a month for shared rooms, she said.

The independent living units would have one-, two- and three-bedroom options, all with full kitchens, Hester said, and prices would start at $3,500. Units would be furnished to a luxury apartment standard, she said.

Hester said if final plans for the project are approved, the goal is to start construction late in the fall. The project would be broken into two phases, with the assisted-living and memory care units being built first, she said.

With nearly 10,000 households with people older than age 75 within 10 miles of the site, there is a significant demand for senior housing, Hester said, citing the Nielsen Claritas demographic profile for 2016.

“We look at communities that have a lot to offer,” Hester said. “In that area, you have the Randall Road corridor, where you have a lot of entertainment, a lot of shopping – so you’re really immersed in the community.”