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By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Developers want to bring a high-end, three-story apartment complex in conjunction with an assisted living facility to a vacant plot of land behind the Perryville Loop near Home Depot, but the proposal was met with pushback from residents who live in single-family homes in the area.
Supporters of the project say it would provide relief to Rockford’s much-publicized need for new housing while adding to the city’s property tax base. Detractors say the development is too dense to mesh with the existing neighborhood, and it would compound issues with traffic while damaging the value of property in the area.
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If those arguments sound familiar, it’s because a similar debate played out over this 19-acre plot of land on Garrett Lane near Perryville Road three years ago. City Council members balked at the proposal then, and developers with Rockford Senior Campus are back now to pitch a tweaked concept with a similar number of apartments.
“Although there has been some changes, the proposal is more alike than it is different from the original proposal,” Alderman Tim Durkee said Tuesday during a hearing of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The land where the 240-unit apartment complex and 136-unit senior care facility would be built is zoned for commercial use, designated as C-1 in the city’s zoning. City Council members would have to grant a special-use permit for the residential development to go forward.
“I’ve never heard one positive comment regarding the desire of this planned unit development by residents or by some of the surrounding businesses. There has been universal opposition,” said Durkee, who represents the ward where the project is pitched. “I think it’s a worthwhile project for Rockford. I welcome projects like this, but not in this location. It’s a good project but in the wrong spot.”
About the project
The plan calls for four, three-story structures to be built on 11 acres of land at 6654 Garrett Lane on the city’s east side. Each building would have 60 units with underground parking. A clubhouse with a pool would be in the middle of the development with additional parking around it.
The complex would include studio, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments open to all ages at market rates.
“The way we’ve got them designed right now, they’re probably going to be around $2,500,” said Kjell Kaashagen, who has put the proposed development forward with his business partners. “These are upscale. They’re large units with underground parking.”
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A senior living facility operated by New Perspective Senior Living would be built in a second phase of construction on 7 acres of land. It would include 98 assisted living or independent living apartments and 38 units for people who require memory care for support with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.
“We’re looking at what’s good for Rockford here, too. There’s a huge demand for multifamily and upscale multifamily,” Kaashagen said. “There’s a huge need for apartments in Rockford, even the Wall Street Journal recognized that.”
Neighbors who live across Garrett Lane from the proposed development and in nearby Bello Reserve raised concerns about the traffic congestion the project could create with a few hundred additional vehicles on Garrett Lane between Perryville and Shilhoh roads. Garrett and Perryville does not have stoplight control, making it difficult for vehicles to traverse, especially when headed north out of the neighborhood.
Craig Sockwell, a member of the Zoning Board, said that traffic in that area will need to be studied before anything is developed on the land. He voted against the apartment development, but cautioned that traffic could be an issue even if a permitted use builds on the site.
“At some point something will be there, the issue is traffic,” Sockwell said. “At some point something needs to be done. Whenever something goes there it’s going to be a major problem.”
Perryville Road is under the county’s jurisdiction and it would be county government’s role to determine if a light or other changes to the Garrett Lane intersection are needed, city traffic engineer Jeremy Carter said.
A handful of residents spoke out against the development during Tuesday’s hearing with their opposition punctuated by Durkee.
“This area was not ever designed to be a high-density area,” Durkee said. “Approval of this planned unit development will have irreversible and detrimental impact on the property values and quality of life of the residents in the area, especially those along Garrett Lane.”
Rockford Senior Campus has owned the land for about five years and feels its proposal fills several needs for the city, from additional upscale housing to millions of dollars in tax revenue for the city, Kaashagen said in response.
“We see there’s a lot of pluses to this,” Kaashagen said. “We’ve invested a lot of money into this and we’ve tried to do a nice, upscale project for Rockford.”
The zoning board voted 3-1 against the project with three members absent. That’s a first step before the matter goes before the City Council’s Code and Regulation Committee on Monday.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas