St. Charles Planning Commission recommends special-use for 16-bed senior shared-housing on Route 31

The St. Charles Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a special-use permit for a 16-resident senior shared-housing (assisted-living) facility at 5 North Route 31, forwarding the application to the City Council Committee of the Whole with conditions to address neighbor concerns. The motion passed by roll call, with six votes in favor and two opposed.

The applicant, Troy Horbach, described the proposal as a shared-housing assisted-living model limited to 16 residents and emphasized that the facility will not provide skilled nursing. "This is going to be $5,500,000 investment in this property," Horbach said, arguing the project would be an investment in the area and an alternative to larger institutional facilities. He and a co-presenter explained Illinois licensing distinctions, noted mandatory services (meals, housekeeping, laundry, social/wellness activities), and said staffing is required 24 hours a day; they also described dementia-specific memory-care features such as controlled egress and staff training.

Neighbors raised concerns about infrastructure, grading, and neighborhood compatibility. Scott McBord said the parcel "drops down like that" and questioned whether a creek had been piped or filled and whether adequate surveys and grading studies have been done. Staff responded that the western portion of the property has known water flow to be addressed in site engineering and that any construction will require the developer to fund a municipal water-main extension because the city does not allow well-and-septic development.

Several residents also questioned the financial viability and potential property-value impacts of the project. Neighbor Ryan Root said he "seriously question[s] the viability of this project in that space" and argued the use conflicts with local expectations for single-family residential development. The applicant countered that similar small-home models in nearby areas have been successful and that the proposed design aims to look and feel like a house rather than a commercial facility.

To address community concerns, the commission’s recommended approval includes these conditions: compliance with all staff comments and city code at permitting; pole lights limited to a maximum height of 12 feet with technology to reduce light levels in the evening and motion-activated brightening for safety; a defined landscape buffer from the rear plane of the building to the 40-foot front setback with plantings meeting the buffer-yard requirements of City code (preferencing evergreen trees over shade trees); and that the approval be clearly defined as a shared-housing establishment under the state's definition and licensed accordingly. Staff also noted the special use would expire if the business closed for 24 months and that a new operator would require relicensing under Illinois rules.

The motion to recommend approval was made and seconded and carried on roll call: Colleen Beeson — yes; John Fitzgerald — no; Jeff Funk — yes; Rita Palighner — no; Sean Baker — yes; Corey Jones — yes; Zack Ewold — yes; Chair (voting) — yes. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council Committee of the Whole, likely for consideration at its June 1 or June 15 meeting.

The commission concluded the meeting after staff confirmed next steps and a motion to adjourn passed.