Changes to Sycamore senior housing development up for City Council vote

SYCAMORE – After receiving a thumbs-up from the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday, a Sycamore developer is one step closer to adding more residential units in multiple buildings at Old Mill Park.

Brian Grainger, the developer of the 55-and-older living community in Sycamore, has worked since 2015 to create the residential complex.

The first phase of the project, which included 48 condos in 12 four-unit buildings, received city approval in 2016 and can be seen from the corner of Route 23 and Mount Hunger Road in Sycamore.

Grainger said only a couple of the four dozen dwellings still are under construction, and he has turned his attention to the second phase of Old Mill Park.

The second phase, which would be on the north side of Mount Hunger Road, previously received city approval for an 84-unit development. Now, Grainger wants to add 32 units to the second phase of the development, increasing the number of units inside 16 of the complex’s 21 buildings to six units from four.

“I would like to start construction by the end of the year so that we could have people actually able to move in next spring [or] summertime,” Grainger said.

He’ll ask the Sycamore City Council on Monday to approve an amended special use permit, which would allow him to continue the project with his amended designs, according to city documents. He has said the condos likely will have a starting price between $250,000 and $300,000.

Some public commenters, however, spoke against the idea at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

Marvin Barnes, a former resident of Old Mill Park, said he was among the first people to move into the complex and has qualms with Grainger’s plan.

“They are very, very well built, no question about it,” Barnes said. “My only issue with it is taking a very nice two-bedroom with a den unit, which is what we had, and then I use the word ‘cannibalize’ – some may take offense to that, it was no disrespect – I’m just saying why do that? All I’m saying is, why take something that’s very nice and kind of tear it apart?”

All residential spaces in Old Mill Park are multi-bedroom units, but single-bedroom units could be built if the City Council gives its approval.

Grainger, a real estate broker with O’Neil Property Group, is the owner of By Grainger Communities, which operates six different residential communities in DeKalb County, including Old Mill Park.

On Monday, Grainger told the Planning and Zoning Commission that he has built more than 700 properties in DeKalb County since he started his business in 1995. He said those experiences are why he’s seeking to increase the density of residential units at Old Mill Park, which sits at the northwest corner of Route 23 and Mount Hunger Road in Sycamore.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes in the industry, code and everything we do,” Grainger said. “I think the future probably will look the same way. I think we’ll always see changes, and so one of the primary roles that I have is trying to be able to envision a future and what the need will be, because we don’t have the luxury of just changing it up quickly. It takes time.”

Kathy Nuss, an Old Mill Park property owner, said she recently hosted a garden walk, during which she heard from people interested in purchasing the small residential units Grainger wants to build.

“The age group of a lot of the gardeners was probably 55 and older,” Nuss said.

If approved by the City Council on Monday, the complex would be poised to grow from 84 units to 116 units, according to city documents.

Grainger said he hopes the second phase of the housing development will give the area’s future retirees housing options comparable with those who previously moved into the complex.

“Most of the people that are here today have the luxury of having a base price with a two or a lower three in it, and so I’d like to offer that same opportunity for the future retirees in Sycamore that live just down the block [who] all of the sudden don’t have the opportunity to retire in the Old Mill Park retirement community,” Grainger said. “I think it’s starting to feel inclusionary. Do we want to be a retirement community that is only marketed in Naperville, or do we want to be the retirement community that could service our community?”