Shepherd Premier shoots for 30 senior living homes by 2022

It has taken Steve and Theresa Maskrey, co-owners of Shepherd Premier Senior Living, five years to be able to open five senior living facilities in the county.

But with the approval and completion of a $21 million project to build 144 residential units for assisted living and memory care in Huntley, Shepherd Premier will be almost halfway to their 2022 goal of 30 senior living homes.

The Maskreys – who also own residential dwellings in Harvard, Ringwood, Crystal Lake and Bull Valley – have bought about 7.2 acres on the east side of Farm Hill Drive and have about 4.59 acres on the west side under contract.

The goal is to build nine single-story residences on the two sites, plus an administrative office building.

The project will be split into two phases: The first will consist of
96 units within six buildings and the administrative building while the second will consist of the other 48 units.

With Huntley as one of the fastest growing communities in the state and about 5,500 seniors living in the Sun City community, Theresa Maskrey said it made sense that offer Shepherd Premier’s senior living options there.

“We’re finally starting to achieve accelerated growth,” Maskrey said.

She said that when you’re a senior and your health begins to fail and you lose your independence, you also lose your sense of community and the sense of being in a residential neighborhood.

Therefore, Maskrey said the goal is to make sure seniors still have a feeling of comfort in one of her residences so when they look out a window, they don’t see a parking lot and when they are served a meal, it is individually home cooked and not mass produced.

“We provide the level of health care required for assisted living but because we don’t do it in a clinical setting, you’re not getting the message that your life is changed and you’re sick,” she said. “You’re getting the message that your life quality is being protected.”

Brandon Schwab, the Maskreys’ business partner, said that after Huntley, Shepherd Premier hopes to expand to Barrington, Palatine and Schaumburg with the goal of having 30 homes open by 2022.

Steve Maskrey said he is hoping for Huntley Village Board approval in September.