After more than three years in planning, an affordable housing project for seniors 55 and over is on its way to Peoria’s near South Side, tabbed as a key piece of the MacArthur Corridor Revitalization.
The $18 million MacArthur Senior Flats will bring 52 residential units online through a collaboration between Pivotal Housing Partners and the Peoria Opportunities Foundation.
“I think it’s going to be a great opportunity to just increase the population on the South Side,” said Irina Riggenbach, Peoria Opportunities Foundation Executive Director. “Other recommendations that came out of the MacArthur plan was to just increase some of the commercial space, revitalize some of the green space. So I think with an increased population, that will kind of help drive some of the other developments that were in that plan.”
The two organizations officially announced the project earlier this week, with a land donation from the city and funding plans in place primarily through low-income housing tax credits from the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
Pivotal Housing Partners Regional Vice President Wyllys Mann said advancing the project became a matter of timing.
“The financing that we’re using for this project is competitive, and each year the scoring changes just a little bit. In this last year, you know, we were able to be successful where in the past, we weren’t,” said Mann.
“You also see some more stability and construction pricing as we’ve come out of COVID. It was a tumultuous first few years there; that was about the time that we first embarked on this project and things were just a little harder then.”
The complex will be built along MacArthur Highway at the northwest corner of the McBean Street intersection, across from Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Access to the parking lots will be from McBean on the south and Johnson Street on the north.
“This is seen a little bit as a gateway in that revitalization plan, so it makes sense that it’s one of the first projects to come online. This is sort of a realization of community planning from before we even got started,” said Mann.
In addition to the low-income housing tax credits, the project will use tax increment financing and HOME Improvement Partnership funds provided by the city. The rental units will be available to senior households earning a specified percentage of the area median income.
Previous apprehension related to the project raised concerns about how a senior housing development would fit into the MacArthur revitalization and the neighborhood in general.
“I think any housing is good housing,” said Riggenbach. “There is a need for senior housing. We did a quick survey about the about the other senior housing in the in the area, and they all have wait lists.
“So I think there is just an increased population that has this need and it is a need that just needs to be addressed. Seniors still shop, they still access resources, and they’re active members of the community.”
Mann notes that the MacArthur Flats will be the South Side’s second project from Pivotal and the Peoria Opportunities Foundation, joining the in progress Churchview Garden Homes development that will bring 47 family residences to the neighborhood.
He adds that multiple other housing projects are in development or planning for the area.
“We’re trying to build housing for everyone. It’s not an either or question, but a both, and we hope to bring more family units to the South Side of the community,” said Mann. “There’s a lot of opportunity, I think, and that that means that you want to build as much as you can, and as much as there is demand for. And there’s certainly demand for all forms of housing on the South Side.”
Riggenbach said the Churchview Gardens construction is on schedule, with the first few buildings on track to be completed in the spring so they can start leasing in late March or early April. Riggenbach said anyone interested in applying for the Churchview Gardens wait list can contact their office at (309) 340-4615.
“Another project that Peoria Opportunities is working on is partnering with the South Side Community Center to do a single family homes rehab project for home ownership,” said Riggenbach. “So that’s just another piece of the puzzle of providing home ownership opportunities for the community.”
Mann said work has started on drafting a redevelopment agreement that will require city council approval to fully greenlight the MacArthur Flats development. He said formal renderings of the complex likely wouldn’t be done until late this year.
“We’re trying to move as quickly as we can. There’s a lot of coordination that goes into it,” said Mann, adding that they hope to start construction next spring, with initial occupancy targeted for 2027.
“It shows our continued commitment – and the continued commitment of the city – to housing on the South Side, to have another project that should break ground about the time that our first one finishes up construction.”
