Village Board Will Consider Ambulance Fee for Assisted-Living Project

Despite a statement that a proposed assisted senior living building will not cause “undue hardship” from emergency calls, the Village Board plans to discuss an impact fee on the building for emergency services.

Trustees agreed Tuesday to discuss the fee, as well as other issues about the project, at the Planning and Zoning Committee meeting April 24.

The five-story complex, featuring 188 units, is planned on an empty plot of land at 1000 Sunset Ridge Road, just south of the intersection with Skokie Boulevard. Senior Lifestyle Corp. has made the application for the project.

In addition to what trustees called the building’s “massive” size, concern focuses on strain to fire department services that would come from a large number of emergency calls for the complex.

However, the fire department estimated Tuesday it would answer 107 ambulance calls annually at the building, down from Chief Mark Nolan’s previous projection of 130 ambulance calls and 10 fire calls.

Village President Sandra Frum wants the board to consider an impact fee based on a minimum number of service calls.

“We don’t want to overburden the fire department,” Frum said.

Trustee Todd Heller does not believe the projected number of calls is insignificant.

“Three percent (of total) calls – I don’t look at it as nothing,” he said

Trustee Kathryn Ciesla added, “It would have an impact.”

A different view was offered by Trustee Michael Scolaro. He suggested if Northbrook seniors, who would largely populate the Sunset Ridge building, instead stayed in their current homes, the fire department would still answer the same number of calls as projected for the building.