Objecting to the size of a proposed three-story senior memory care facility by Artis Senior Living at the current site of Wil-Ridge Plaza on Ridge Road, the Wilmette Village Board voted unanimously to table its discussion until its next meeting on January 9.
In the mean time, board President Bob Bielinski urged Artis to work with village staff to come up with a revised proposal.
Artis is seeking a special-use permit through the planned unit development process (PUD), which provides zoning relief in exchange for a public benefit to the community. Artis is proposing a 64-unit, 3-story senior memory care facility that contains parking and a lobby on the first floor, and residential units on the second and third floors.
Notably, Artis seeks a height variation to build a 42 foot tall, three-story building, instead of the 30-foot, two and a half stories permitted under the zoning code, as well as a floor area ratio (FAR) increase to 76,080 square feet, from the permissible 52,261 square feet under the code.
Jim Griffin, attorney for Artis, said the 30-foot height limitation was restrictive and that almost any redevelopment of the site would run into a height issue. “It’s slightly higher but we still think it fits within the neighborhood,” he said.
Artis offered as public benefits the growing demand for memory care, bringing the site up to the MWRD’s stormwater requirements, a $50,000 donation to the affordable housing group Housing Our Own, paid out in $10,000 increments for five years, and the fact that Artis is a for-profit company and as such will pay property taxes.
But from the outset board President Bielinski raised concerns about the size and scale of the building in relation to the neighborhood, as well as whether Artis is offering a sufficient public benefit in relation to the sizable relief it seeks.
“The big concern is that it’s a tall building and it’s a big building,” President Bielinski said, noting that while the proposed building is three stories high, it could be four stories and is bigger than neighboring 4-story buildings. President Bielinski also noted that the community push-back about two recent large projects, the apartment building on Green Bay Road, as well as the hotel built on the west side. “There is a real sensitivity in the community to tall buildings,” he said.
President Bielinski asked that Artis provide a rendering of the building from a pedestrian’s perspective that includes neighboring buildings. “I suspect it is going to be hulking. I mean really big,” President Bielinski said.
Other trustees also raised concerns about the project. Trustee Julie Wolf took issue with the front landscaping, noting that there was only a 3-foot buffer between Ridge Road and the building. Artis offered potentially narrowing the driveway to create a larger buffer at the front.
Trustee Wolf also suggested that Artis consider seeking a Silver LEED certification for the building, something that is listed as a public benefit within the PUD regulations. While Artis responded that it is implementing many items the LEED certification requires, Trustee Wolf urged Artis to actually secure the certification.
The number of ambulance runs was also an issue raised by Trustee Stephen Leonard. While the village staff estimated about 80 runs per year for service, it was unclear how much that would ultimately cost the village. Likewise Trustee Leonard raised concerns about the loss in sales taxes raised, as well as the potential to raise more sales tax if the strip mall were rented out at full capacity.
The other board members agreed that Artis needed to show more of a public benefit and potentially scale-down its plans, while noting that the community could benefit from a senior memory care facility.
“I think the big issue here is the density of the building and the height of the building,” Trustee Kathy Dodd said. She urged Artis to consider Silver LEED certification, researching the cost of ambulance runs and take another look at the height of the building.
Trustee Senta Plunkett offered her support of a memory care facility, but found the building a harder sell that would need some revisions. “Anything you can do to sell us and the community on the building,” she said.
The site of a proposed memory care facility in Wilmette.