Senior living facility proposed for Naperville site near Route 59 and 75th that’s been vacant for 25 years
A 170-unit senior living facility being proposed for Naperville could be a buffer between busy commercial areas near Route 59 and 75th Street and a town house development to the north and east.
Audrey Senior Residences at 2939 Audrey Ave. would consist of 170 units — 79 for independent living, 63 for assisted living and 28 for memory care.
The property is being developed by Ryan Cos. US in partnership with American House, which operates 70 senior facilities throughout the Midwest, including locations in in Plainfield and Oak Park.
Before construction can begin, the developer needs city approval for a zoning change and variances for building height, front yard parking, an off-premises sign and elimination of a six-foot landscaping boundary.
The Planning and Zoning Commission this week endorsed all of Ryan’s requests and forwarded their recommendation to the Naperville City Council.
The plan is to subdivide the 6.2-acre property into two lots, according to attorney Russ Whitaker, who represented Ryan Cos. at the commission meeting.
The facility would use 4.6 acres on land on the east side of the property and the company would retain the remaining 1.6 fronting Route 59 for future commercial development, Whitaker said.
City planner Sara Kopinski said the surrounding area has undergone significant development over the last 25 years since it being annexed into the city but the 6.2 acres — zoned for a commercial shopping center — has remained vacant.
Whitaker said changing the zoning of the 4.6 acres to office, commercial and institutional, or OCI, would allow Audrey Senior Residences to be a transition between the intensive retail areas along Route 59 and 75th Street and the nearby residential developments.
The Mayfair of Naperville town houses are to the north and east and retail developments, including Home Depot, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Mattress Firm, are located to the south and west of the property.
A fence is not necessary, Whitaker said, because the portions of the proposed facility would face north and the east side backs up to a detention basin.
The goal is to use the pond and walking path as an amenity so residents can view the area from the courtyard at the rear of the building, he said.
Where the property meets directly with Mayfair on the northwest, a fence already exists, he added.
The developer has the support of Indian Prairie School District 204 because those who live there will be 62 and older and will not be adding more students to the school system, Whitaker said.
A facility also will generate more revenue from property taxes than it produced as vacant land used for agricultural purposes.
The target demographic is women ages 85 and older who do not drive and are seeking security and assistance in a living environment, according to Ryan’s application for zoning changes.
All leases are month-to-month and the average occupancy is five years.
Whitaker said the project supports Naperville’s efforts to add more senior housing in the city.
