NORMAL – The building sits in front of the waterpark and pool in front of Fairview Park on Normal’s north end. It has had a history which indicated it had been used for among other uses, a sanitarium before other uses were found for it. Now that property, located at 901 N. Main St. will see another chapter of its life written by a developer who wants to revamp the two-story structure and surrounding properties at 903 and 905 N. Main into senior housing.

The plan Normal Town Council members heard Tuesday during the session held remotely as a result of the country’s continuing pandemic seemed a positive enough for the community to Council members to give a 7-0 unanimous vote to a resolution conditionally approving an amended site plan for the project.

The project’s developers, Springfield-based Laborers’ Home Development Corporation (LHDC), approached the Town with the intention of constructing 41 senior housing units attached to a soon-to-be built second building of 23 feet high which would have additional units. The units would be available for residents age 55 and older, according to LHDC.

According to the report provided Council members by Mercy Davison on the matter, the project will rely LHDC, a non-profit group, to receive affordable housing tax credits from the State. The stage the project is at for LHDC is having hired an architect for assembling building plans and putting together a site plan which would be presented to Town Council members at a future meeting for final approval.

Davison’s report indicated LHDC is a non-profit group which develops, owns, and manages affordable senior housing throughout the Midwest, including Illinois. All the units, the report states, would be built to meet Federal accessibility guidelines and have features such as grab bars in bathrooms and showers, accessible controls, accessible doors, cabinet hardware, and adjustable shelving.

McLean County has owned the former sanitarium property for decades, as well as the surrounding properties, including the Emergency Management garage, which also has 901 N. Main as it address; McLean County Nursing Home at 903 N. Main St., and the county juvenile detention center at 905 N. Main St.

Davison said the only item needing to be worked out between the developer and the county concerns the number of parking spaces needed. She added Town Code ties parking for multi-family projects to the number of bedrooms in each residential unit. Code calls for this facility be required to have 66 parking spaces. LHDC is requesting a variance to provide 34 spaces, including 4 which would be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Council members had positive comments when they addressed it before voting. “Personally, I think this is a great project,” said Council Member Kevin McCarthy. “We’re taking an old, unproductive, used asset and we’re going to rehabilitate it and make it productive again and add to it.”

“It’s worth noting the number of boxes this project checks and fills,” added Council Member Kathleen Lorenz. She added such a complex would diversify the housing options available to seniors in the community.”

“I think it’s an exceptional project,” Koos stated, adding, “This is a significant project. It takes a significant building in our community, an historic building, and puts it through an interesting adaptive reuse. I know it’s something the Town and the County have been concerned about for years.”

“It’s our plan to restore the structure to its historic former look and bring it all up to code,” explained Tim Ryan, representing LHDC. “Also restore its historic features intact.”

Normal Planning Commission members voted 7-0 to approve the proposed project during their session on Jan. 7. Only one member of the public spoke at that session concerned about an increase in traffic at Summit St. if the project were approved.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 19th, 2021 at 10:06 pm and is filed under Normal Town Council, The Normalite. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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