Elgin Good Health Campus. Good Idea?
Situated next to the grounds of the Elgin Mental Health Center (750 S. State Street, Elgin, Illinois) is approximately 90 acres of vacant land. The land is prime developable land as a good portion of it fronts the US Grant Highway (US Route 20) and State Street (IL Route 31). Perhaps the highest and best use for this land would be a “Good Health Campus”.
Some background first. A deal for the property had been pieced together to allow the development of a million square foot warehouse and production facility for John B. San Filippo and Son, Inc. The company is a manufacturer, processor, packager, and distributor of edible nuts. San Fillipo had anticipated consolidating its operations, which were scattered in four to five buildings in Northwest Cook County, under one roof. As the transaction worked its way through the governmental process, another large facility in the City of Elgin became available. The company jumped on the opportunity to purchase and expand the Panasonic facility at the Jane Adams Tollway (I-90) and Randall Road. San Filippo purchased the facility and immediately expanded into a fabulous and state of the art facility. A good move on their part as one could only imagine the public relations challenge posed by a nut company situated adjacent to a mental health facility.
Back to the land. A “Good Health Campus” adjacent to a State of Illinois mental health facility is a better way to go. The City of Elgin and the Elgin Chamber of Commerce, working together, could function as a catalyst to advance such a development. No public funds should be expended; only leadership provided. A master developer could come in and subdivide the expansive property to provide for a myriad number of individual developments and structures. Among the possibilities on the mixed-use “campus” might be:
- An Urgent Care Facility fronting the Route 31 frontage.
- Single Room Occupancy (SRO’s) dwellings.
- Developmentally disabled housing.
- Transitional housing for those walking wounded in the community.
- Rehabilitation facilities for those with addiction and/or mental health issues.
- A private mental health facility.
- Alzheimer facility.
- Nursing Home facility.
- Group homes.
- Behavioral Science Research Center and Offices.
- Homeless Shelter.
- Food Bank warehouse facility.
All of this, of course, should have adequate security for the safety of the campus residents. Each and every facility should be funded and built with private or independent sector funds.
It will take a lot of coordination and marketing prowess to bring about such unique and forward-looking development into action. Such a full-scale development could be a great benefit to the City of Elgin showing the state and nation what a luminating example of creative caring for the communities downtrodden might be.
A “Good Health Campus” could be the additional polish that showcases the City of Elgin as the shining city on a bluff.
