City Council Eyes Next Step on Senior Facility

It may be that all that is standing between Chicago Heights and the construction of a $23 million living facility for seniors at 1040 Dixie Highway is a technicality.

Even though a deal to sell the parcel to developers who want to build the facility has been in the works for two years, by law, the has to place a public notice in the newspaper to see if there is anyone else who wants to buy the parcel.

"The law is kind of an impractical way to motivate development. Before you sell the land, even if you have a serious proposal, you have to publish in the paper to see if there are other offers out there," explained TJ Somer, corporate counsel for the city.

Other prospective buyers have until the end of the month to come forward with a proposal.

Deabel Doesn't Agree With Location

The Council voted at a Feb. 15 meeting to place the notice delcaring the property for sale, but there was one alderman who voted against the measure. Ald. Sylvia Torres was not present at the meeting.

Fourth Ward Ald. Joshua Deabel said he is in favor of a facility, but has some concerns about the location. 

"First of all, I support senior housing options in Chicago Heights and would like to see it done in a way that promotes responsible growth in our city," Deabel said in an email to Patch. 

However, Deabel said, the location of the old Holiday Inn/Hacienda Inn is not good for walking to places of interest or close to shopping for seniors and he would like to see other locations considered. He also has concerns about flooding on the property and thinks it could be better used for an expansion of the park district.

More details about the facility will be presented at the council's next meeting, provided the council approves a measure to move forward to accept the developer's proposal, Somer said.

"But [in this case] we're talking about a $23 million proposal that took two years to develop. Is somebody going to come up with something better in a week? I don't know," Somer said.