Trib Local - Northbrook
Senior living facility proposed
For the second time in a year, a senior living facility will be proposed in Northbrook on the site of razed offices and warehouses along Sunset Ridge Road.
On Tuesday, the village board will review a preliminary application by developer North Shore Grand to build a four-story, 240-unit facility on 7.2 acres near the intersection of Sunset Ridge Road and Skokie Boulevard. The proposed project would include 40 independent living units, 84 assisted living units, 40 skilled nursing rooms and 76 memory support units for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients.
Last year, financial difficulty forced another developer to abandon plans to build a similar facility, despite encouragement from the village, officials said.
“I think the board was fine to go ahead and approve it — documents recommending approval were drafted,” said Michaela Mitchell, village planner. “The applicant ran into economic hardships.”
The property on the west side of Sunset Ridge Road would need to be rezoned to a Residential Specialty (RS), a new classification created last year to accommodate senior living facilities, including the previous proposal and the Lodge of Northbrook, which was approved in December. Developed by Nebraska-based Essex Corporation, the 140-unit facility is set to be built on Founders Drive, near the Willow Festival shopping center.
While North Shore Grand has developed fairly detailed plans, feedback from the preliminary review could go a long way to determining if the project ever gets off the ground.
“We offer this to help people gauge whether or not something is worth pursuing,” Mitchell said. “That helps the applicant figure out if it’s worth filing a formal application and going through the costs and time of an application process.”