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Courthouse Square

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Zoning Board to Deliberate Aug. 28 on Courthouse Square Senior Housing Proposal

Supporters and opponents of a proposed senior housing development at Courthouse Square in Wheaton will present closing arguments at a zoning board meeting Tuesday night. Patch will be there to blog about the arguments and board deliberations.

Wheaton's planning and zoning board will continue a public hearing on the proposal to build a senior housing development at Courthouse Square in downtown Wheaton on Tuesday, Aug. 28. The board will deliberate after hearing from attorneys representing the developer and opponents of the project Tuesday night. Courthouse Land Development, LLC is proposing to construct a six-story, 167-unit senior housing development at Courthouse Square, where developers originally planned to finish a condo development. The project remains incomplete as a result of the housing market crash in 2008. Tonight, after three months of public hearings on the issue, attorneys for the applicant and objecting residents will present their closing arguments to the zoning…

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Norman Brockmeier

2:49 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012

In order to understand the many objections, one would have had to be present at the hearings. This is essentially a developer asking for a "bail out" that provides NO guarantees to the RE tax increment (TIF) hoped for Wheaton!   more ›

Monday, June 4, 2012

Letter to the Editor

Homeowner: Senior Housing at Courthouse Square Would be "Inappropriate" Use of Space

A Courthouse Square homeowner writes his objections to the propose senior housing development at Courthouse Square in downtown Wheaton. To send a letter to the editor, email Charlotte@Patch.com.

Some supporters of the proposed senior living facility have suggested that Courthouse Square owners are against seniors. We are not against seniors, as many of us qualify are seniors ourselves!   Our objection is that this massive commercial/institutional use is most inappropriate on this small 1.197 acre site. If you check out other senior housing developments, you’ll immediately notice that they are located on multi-acre sites separated from adjacent residential areas by parks and other passive recreational areas. In fact, this proposal under Wheaton’s zoning ordinance would require approximately a 5-acre lot as a standalone development.   Many city officials have told us this isn’t a zoning issue – some don’t care about zoning and land …

John Mihas

3:59 pm on Monday, June 4, 2012

I feel bad for the residents, they city made a bad deal. In order to protect themselves and Airhart they want to change the terms. Wheaton lacks vision and leadership. Yes, Tom I have been to city council meetings.   more ›

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Wheaton Zoning Board to Revisit Senior Housing Proposal at Courthouse Square

Wheaton's Planning and Zoning Board meets for a second public hearing for Courthouse Square development Tuesday night.

The Wheaton Planning and Zoning Board will hold a public hearing Tuesday for a proposed senior housing development at Courthouse Square in downtown Wheaton. Courthouse Land Development, LLC is proposing to build the senior living facility on the downtown property after an economic collapse in 2005 hindered the city-approved plans to build 50 townhomes and 206 condos in four buildings. To date, one 50-unit building, six condos in the restored courthouse and 11 townhomes have been completed, according to the memo. The firm is requesting city approval to change the approved planned unit development (PUD) to allow construction of a 167-unit senior housing development, according to a city memo. Parkside Management Services would operate the …

Lisle WatchDog

8:34 am on Sunday, May 13, 2012

Will the project be rental or a buy-in continuing care facility? If rental, will it be a partially low-income government subsidized facility?   more ›

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Wheaton Zoning Board to Consider Proposal for Senior Housing at Courthouse Square

The city's Planning and Zoning Board will hold a public hearing for an amendment to an approved planned unit development (PUD) to allow the construction of a senior housing development at Courthouse Square in downtown Wheaton.

Instead of condo buildings, Wheaton's Planning and Zoning Board will consider a request to amend a previously-approved development, to allow the construction of a senior housing facility at the Courthouse Square property in downtown Wheaton Tuesday night. The city in 2004 approved the planned unit development (PUD) for Courthouse Land Development, LLC—located in one of the city's three tax increment financing (TIF) districts—for the construction of 50 townhomes and 206 condos in four buildings, according to a city staff memo. Currently, one of the buildings, containing 50 units, the old courthouse building—containing six units—and 11 townhomes have been constructed.  But when the housing market took a quick turn for the worst, development …

Joe Wheaton

2:51 pm on Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The City is in bed with these developers and might I say extremely lazy about looking for alternatives. The city should have taken some kind of security from these developers to make sure they didn't go bust in the middle. They failed the tax payers when they did their due diligence and allowed the developers to get their hands on this property. Now because its the easiest thing to do, they are …   more ›

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Courthouse Square Residents Oppose Possible Senior Center

Dozens turn out to Wheaton city council meeting to express their opposition.

Dozens turned out to a Wheaton City Council Monday night to voice opposition to the possible construction of an assisted living/ nursing home facility near the Courthouse Square condominiums and town homes. When the economic downturn halted development of luxury condominiums near the old courthouse, the developers, Focus Development, posed a plan to build two senior centers that include 167 units of independent or assisted living, as well as a number of units for Alzheimer’s care. Earlier this summer city officials pulled the plug on the proposal to build those additional town homes because the developer failed to meet deadlines. Now the developers have a new plan to use that land and submitted an application to change the development …

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Charlotte Eriksen

11:37 am on Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Hey Jim, thanks for commenting. I do remember hearing that seniors wanted a pharmacy that was within walking distance to downtown. So in that sense the two could be a good pair   more ›

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