By Josh Bootsma
LANSING, Ill. (January 12, 2021) – St. Anthony of Lansing hopes to expand its campus significantly in coming years by adding a memory care facility and multiple townhome buildings to meet the needs of more local seniors, with special priority given to Lansing residents and family members of Lansing residents.
The proposed expansion will come before the Village Board of Trustees’ Committee of the Whole meeting on January 19. The planned appearance comes after three representatives of the proposed project made a detailed presentation before the Planning and Zoning Board on December 9, 2020.
Expansion project details
The proposed project falls into two main categories: memory care and independent townhomes.
The planned memory care facility will contain 60 units and will be constructed near the existing St. Anthony of Lansing building, which serves as an assisted living facility and contains 125 units. The memory care complex would be one building, but contain three separate households of 20 units each, a move that is in step with memory care best practices, said Michelle Sablack, architect at Worn Jerabek Wiltse Architects.
The units in the facility, said Sablack, will be private residences and include in-suite bathrooms. The building will include common spaces like kitchens, dining rooms, and enclosed outdoor spaces where residents can enjoy the outdoors unaccompanied. The exterior of the building, Sablack said, will be designed to “really help this feel like home.”
In addition to the memory care building, multiple independent townhome structures are planned, some of which will house six units, others four, and one will house three units and a community center. There are 33 total planned units. Each rentable unit will have two bedrooms, no steps, widened doorways, and other features tailored to seniors. The townhomes will line Spring Lake Drive, which curves around Spring Lake. The land planned for the townhomes is currently empty with the exception of one existing townhome building which has been vacant since 2013.
The community center, Sablack said, will contain a business center, a fitness area, a community room, and the leasing office.
Presenters at the December 9 meeting indicated a desire to clear out much of the natural plant growth that currently wraps around the perimeter of the small lake and make the shore a place for residents of the area to walk and enjoy the spring-fed lake.
The campus will prioritize the placement of Lansing residents and relatives of Lansing residents, said Gardant Management Solutions Vice President of Development and Positioning Rick Banas. The campus will be connected in terms of resident transition from one living situation to another within the community, as well as in resident interaction and events, he said.
“Gardant has been involved with St. Anthony since the community opened in 2013. We were involved with the development of the community, have managed the community since it opened, and we’re really excited about this project,” Banas said. “We’re very excited to see this type of comprehensive development.”
Response and next steps
Planning and Zoning Board commissioners had some questions about the proposal, but had largely positive reactions to the proposed project, and all voted unanimously in favor of it. “Thank you for bringing memory care into Lansing,” Cathy Hallow said.
“I think it’s a nice development and a good opportunity for Lansing residents,” Tom McSwiggan said.
The petition will come before the Village Board of Trustees’ Committee of the Whole on January 19.
Zach Leonard, owner of Bravo Properties LLC, said the construction on the townhomes could happen 8-12 months after final approval, with the memory care facility to be built afterward.
Village Board Meetings are currently being held in-person, though a live stream of the meeting is usually made available here. Meetings start at 7:00 p.m. at the Lansing Courthouse, located at 2710 170th Street. Contact information for Village Trustees is available on the Mayor’s page of the Village website.
St. Anthony of Lansing is located at 3025 Spring Lake Drive.
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