Former assisted-living building may work for affordable housing, other adaptive uses

A dormant site along one of Wilmette’s main commercial thoroughfares may soon be getting new life.

The property at 615 Ridge Road is a prime candidate for an “adaptive reuse,” Wilmette Village Manager Michael Braiman said during an October Village Board meeting.

The nearly half-acre site used to be home to an assisted living facility, which at first was called Sunrise Assisted Living then became Wickshire.

Braiman told trustees during the meeting that village officials had recent discussions with a developer who purchased the property. According to public property records, the site sold for $875,000 at auction in December of 2023.

Initially, property owners hoped to redevelop the site into apartments and condominiums, Braiman said, but the site currently only has six parking spaces.

Developers, per Braiman, asked if the village would add designated parking spaces for potential tenants on Ridge Road. Officials responded by noting that is typically not a request the village would accommodate.

An alternative plan now under consideration is an affordable housing building or a site that could feature housing for persons with disabilities, Braiman said, adding that type of use for the site could alleviate parking concerns given there likely would be less need for parking.

“That was something the developer was interested in, and they are going to pursue that with some of their partners,” Braiman said. “There are financing problems with that, but I told them that these are the types of uses we want to have discussions about and have an open mind, so we’ll report back to the Village Board and the community with something substantive moving forward.”

Wilmette’s recently approved comprehensive plan identified Ridge Road as a key area for redevelopment and earmarked several sites as opportunities to do so.

The Record recently reported plans for the former Norshore Meats site, where developers are looking to build a new three-story, six-unit condominium building. But, the area’s most notable vacancy, the Treasure Island site, remains problematic.

According to the comprehensive plan, the “substantial amount of vacant storefront and developable property” along with lower commercial rents in the area make Ridge Road a strong opportunity to explore new uses.

“All these factors combined with the rich history and historic character of the area make it suitable for growth and transformation,” the plan reads. “Much of the multi-family housing along Ridge Road is naturally occurring affordable housing and it is a goal of the Village to maintain that affordable housing.”

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