Proposed Hill Street Neighborhood land earns rezoning recommendation

MOUNT MORRIS – Mount Morris took another step toward construction of a neighborhood that would “flip the script” on disability services in Illinois, but not before about two hours of community discussion.

A request to rezone 22.83 acres of land, on which the proposed Hill Street Neighborhood would be located, went before the Mount Morris Planning Commission on Monday. More than 20 residents attended to hear a presentation and ask questions.

The estimated $10 million, multiphase Hill Street Neighborhood is the work of the Village of Progress and Kreider Services, and would be built in the northeast corner of Mount Morris.

Both organizations, based in Oregon and Dixon, respectively, serve developmentally disabled individuals.

Phase 1 of the project involves building a community center and 12 duplexes, half of which would be for individuals with developmental disabilities, said Brion Brooks, Village of Progress executive director. The other dozen apartments would be low-income housing.

“We want this to be an integrated, regular old subdivision,” said Jeff Stauter, Kreider Services executive director. “One of the things, if you work with people with disabilities, the desire is strong to have a very normal, boring, regular life and not live in an isolated place, an isolated neighborhood.”

Disabled residents would get to choose their own service provider and, with the help of a coordinator, decide for themselves what services they need, when they need them and how they’re delivered, Brooks said.

Mount Morris Planning Commission members voted 4-0-2 to recommend that village trustees rezone the property to R-2 Multifamily Residential, grant a special use permit for a community building and provide a conditional use permit for a park.

Planning Commission members Sylvia Saunders and Salley Wessels abstained.

Wessels spent several minutes considering her vote before deciding to abstain.

She said she doesn’t think the neighborhood is a bad idea but was concerned about the uncertainty of what costs the village would incur related to things such as street maintenance and the practicality of developing a park.

Saunders did not provide a reason for abstaining.

“I think it’s extraordinary,” Planning Commission member Jon Murray said. “I think the village would really benefit from such a project.”

The property on which the Hill Street Neighborhood would be is owned by David Luepkes, is used for farming and is zoned I-1 Light Industrial. Luepkes wrote a letter in support of the project, noting his willingness to sell the land once the Illinois Housing Development Authority fully approves the plan.