A St. Louis-based firm that specializes in creating affordable housing developments is looking to transform a former Galesburg school building into an independent senior living center.
Bywater Development Group submitted a bid of $305,000 to purchase the vacant Churchill Jr. High School property at 905 Maple Ave. It was the lone bid received by the city, and was read during Monday’s City Council meeting.
Aaron Burnett, president of Bywater Development Group, tells WGIL his company specializes in developing, planning, financing, and implementing transformative affordable housing developments throughout the mid-western and southern regions of the United States.
‘High quality independent senior living’
Burnett said the Bywater group learned of the Churchill property through an advertising. The group visited Galesburg and toured the exterior of the school building and designed a preliminary plan for the site before submitting a bid to the city.
“We think the existing school building could be turned into really high quality independent senior living,” Burnett said. “We’ve studied up on Galesburg and looked at the demographics and it appears to having a significant aging population, and that aligns with the plan that we have.
“We haven’t communicated with the city yet, but we very much want to talk to them about our ideas.”
The development would be called Churchill Place.
Bywater’s bid is for Lot 2 which includes approximately 6.62 acres and is the portion of the property where the existing school building is located. This lot will include everything from approximately 15 feet north of the school to the south property line.
The city would retain Lot 1 of the subdivision as green space for future use. Lot 1 is approximately 8.28 acres and contains the green space, the parking lot on the north side of Churchill and the vehicular entrances to Maple Avenue and Mary Street.
City looks to make large portion of Churchill property green space. Building remains for sale
According to bid language submitted by Bywater, the sizes and dimensions of classroom areas in the building are ideal for conversion to one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.
Burnett envisions a total of around 61 apartments which would be designed to be highly accessible and energy efficient. According to the bid, 80% would be one-bedroom and 20% two-bedroom apartments.
The target audience is mixed and moderate income active seniors active seniors aged 55 and above.
“Often time, we see folks who don’t want to maintain a single family home any longer, but they by no means need assisted living,” Burnett said. “We’ve done comparable developments like that throughout Illinois and the other states that we work in.”
Complex would include indoor/outdoor recreation facilities
In addition to the living units, Burnett said Bywater envisions a complex that would include community rooms and recreation facilities. The existing center courtyard would be transformed into a resident courtyard/patio.
Bywater would finance the project with tax credits that are applied for on an annual basis from the state housing agency.
“It takes 5 to 6 months for the applications to get reviewed, and if you are awarded, it takes another 6 to 8 months to get through financial closings,” Burnett said. “So these are longer term kind of undertakings.”
According to the bid, “The comprehensive rehabilitation of the development will re-start the useful economic life of the building by including replacement of major building systems (new roofs, windows/doors, high-efficiency HVAC equipment, water-saving plumbing fixtures, and energy- efficient lighting fixtures and appliances), new designer-inspired interiors and finishes (including flooring, cabinetry, and doors/trim), and site improvements including parking area improvements, sidewalk repair/replacement, and additional recreational facilities.
“The open courtyard area would be optimized for outdoor seating and activities, common garden beds, and enhanced landscaping, while the auditorium area would include construction of two to four apartment units plus a Community Room with kitchenette, sitting area, library, and a computer/business center-all for the use and convenience of the residents of the development. A sizable portion of the gymnasium will be preserved as a multi-functional gathering and recreational space for residents with occasional activity programming and some communal equipment available.”
The bid projects construction to commence in April 2025, with a ribbon cutting in July 2026.
At its Oct. 2 meeting, the City Council approved the final reading of an ordinance directing the sale of the property. Public notices were placed in a local newspaper for 3 consecutive weeks and bid packets were sent out. Bids were due Monday and read aloud during the Council meeting last night.
An internal review will be conducted of the bid from Bywater, and it is anticipated Council would vote on any recommended bid at its Nov. 20 meeting.
“We will wait to hear from the city, because they will lead this process,” Burnett said. “With our architect and design firms, we have done some very preliminary kind of looks at the project.”
Mayor ‘surprised’ there was only one bid
Galesburg Mayor Peter Schwartzman said he has not yet seen the bid from Bywater and cannot speak to the specifics of Bywater’s plan. He did tell WGIL, “An independent senior living property seems a good fit for the location.”
The mayor added, “I am surprised there was only one bid. I think the property is in good shape and could be developed into a lot of things.
“I would hope the staff would review the bid and bring their position back within weeks. If they come back with positive thoughts on the bid, the Council should consider it within a month’s time.”