A groundbreaking ceremony in Mt. Morris on Tuesday, Oct. 7, marks the upcoming construction of the Hill Street Neighborhood – a unique $10 million duplex apartment project.

A collaboration between the Village of Progress in Oregon and Kreider Services in Dixon, it will offer a new living option for people living with disabilities whose options typically have included living with parents or in a group home.

After many years of planning, the Hill Street Neighborhood will give people with disabilities the opportunity to choose their own services, an option not seen in group homes.

Plans call for 24 units in 12 duplexes and a 4-acre public park with walkways to access the park for all units. There will also be a community building open to anyone in Mt. Morris and acreage for future expansion.

“Five years ago, VOP Executive Director Brion Brooks told me about a crazy idea in Mt. Morris to build housing for people with intellectual disabilities where they can control their own housing,” Kreider Services Executive Director Jeff Stauter said. “That may seem like nothing to people without disabilities.

“Here in Mt. Morris, unlike anywhere else in the state, those folks are going to be able to pick who provides their services and who is in their home supporting them. And if they don’t like them, they can hire someone new. It puts them in control of their space and lives. And that is amazing.”

Major support for the project has come from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Developmental Disabilities, IHDA, the Ogle County Housing Authority, Sauk Valley Bank, ComEd, and the Village of Mt. Morris.

Mt. Morris Village President Phil Labash spoke at the groundbreaking on Oct. 7 and said he’s excited Mt. Morris was chosen for the development. He is looking forward to welcoming new residents.

“I’m confident this development will result in many positive outcomes for Mt. Morris and set us apart as a very special destination,” Labash said. “Thank you to everyone who was involved in bringing this to life. Today the work begins on a project that will impact and transform the lives of many tomorrow. I’m excited to see it come to life.”

The Hill Street Neighborhood will have a full-time staff member to service its tenants. Half of the duplexes will be occupied by people without disabilities. The apartments will be deemed affordable housing, but at a level of 50% of the area median income rather than the typical 30%.

The duplexes will be uniform with those in the subdivision next door and the development won’t stand out from other areas of Mt. Morris. Hill Street will be extended for the development.

The general contractor for the project is North Arrow Partners, and Jeff Cronin, its chief technical officer, said Oct. 7 that construction will take about 14 months to complete. He called the need for affordable housing “a crisis” and the need for permanent supportive housing “so much greater.”

“Delivering 24 new homes for people with disabilities is a special occasion and so needed,” Cronin said. “At North Arrow we’ve done some permanent supportive housing across the state. It can be a challenge. It’s admirable that the community and leadership here support this project. They understand what a wonderful addition to the community this will be. We’re excited to get started.”

Mt. Morris was chosen as the location of the project because the community was receptive to it and the village is small and walkable with the right amenities. The 20 acres of land was purchased from a farmer that owned the land.

The first phase of the project includes 6 acres for the development and 4 acres for the park, which will be the only park in the northeast quadrant of Mt. Morris. The remainder of the property will be held in reserve for possible future phases, which may be more market-based housing or privately owned residences.

ComEd has supported the Hill Street Neighborhood project with a grant for energy efficiency that will include “state-of-the-art” equipment, such as high-performance windows, HVAC equipment and lighting.

“Our energy efficiency team has worked to put together some of the most advanced energy efficient programs and development possible,” ComEd External Affairs Manager and Kreider Services Board of Directors Vice President Nick Escobar said. “We’re going to be able to save energy across the board and with energy prices rising we know how important that is.

“It will save enough power to cover nearly 40 homes per year. There will be close to $60,000 in incentives that this project will receive from ComEd.”

The Village of Progress has been serving adults with developmental disabilities in Ogle County since 1969. Kreider Services provides direct care programs to people with developmental disabilities.

Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities Director Kim Mercer-Schleider thanked Stauter and Brooks for their dedication to the project.

“Their work inspired the council to invest further in more technical assistance for other developmental disability service providers that are interested in housing like this,” Mercer-Schleider said. “We need more of this. We need more passion and innovative, committed service providers. We need more people to understand why this is important.”