New senior living community proposed for Kendall Marketplace in Yorkville

Plans are in the works to develop a senior living community in Yorkville’s Kendall Marketplace, with 28 single-family homes designed for the 55-and-older crowd.

Before construction can begin, the 8.29-acre property site, located in the Heartland Meadows West neighborhood, north of Blackberry Shore Lane and between Northland Lane and Cannonball Trail, needs to be rezoned to allow the residential and commercial lots. The site is currently vacant and designated for park usage and open green space by the city’s 2016 Comprehensive Plan.

A public hearing is scheduled by city officials for the Nov. 13 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Following the public discussion, a tentative final vote is planned for the Dec. 10 City Council meeting.

The developer, Marker Inc., entered into an agreement with the city in Jan. 2024, laying the groundwork for residential and commercial development of the site. The high density of the proposal’s residential properties is one of the topics city officials are deliberating over.

The developer is seeking to reduce the rear yard setback from 40 feet to 20 feet, because of the location of a city water main. The developer is also seeking a request to reduce the interior and corner side yard setbacks from 10 - 30 feet to only 5 feet.

According to city documents, the agreement between the developer and the city permits the purchaser to secure water and sewer connection fees at rates effective as of Dec. 1, 2023, for the next five years. This sweetens the deal for the developers because city water rates are set to increase by large amounts over several years to fund the city’s water piping expansion to transition to bringing in Lake Michigan water for the community.

Further out along the city’s boundaries, another site of 32 more acres is slated for townhome and duplex development as part of the Grand Reserve residential project.

Cesar Cruz, the petitioner, represents developers GR Yorkville Residents, LLC, and is seeking approval to construct 164 new residential townhome lots and four open space lots all on a site comprising 22-acres. The space is located north of the BNSF railroad and east of Tuscany Trail.

They are also seeking to develop 60 new residential duplexes on a 10-acre site located west of the intersection of Crooker Drive and Brady Street.

For the development plans to be advanced as proposed, a majority approval is needed by the city’s Economic Development Committee on Nov. 6.