Air Permit Affirmed for Prairie Energy Campus

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Appeals Board has affirmed the air permit for the Prairie State Energy Campus in Lively Grove, Ill.

The ruling confirms that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency conducted a proper and thorough environmental review and that Prairie State's technologies will comply with state and federal regulations to protect the environment.

The facility will use generation and emissions control technologies, generate electricity for the Midwest, create more than 450 permanent jobs and inject nearly $100 million into the Illinois economy each year.

The Prairie State Interest Group owns 47 percent of the project and an equal amount of output and includes a consortium of Midwest utilities.

With the final approval of the air permit, Prairie State can move forward with the selection of construction and operating partners and financing.

The Stratford to Offer Upscale Retirement Village

Construction has started on the $50 million Stratford at WestClay, an upscale retirement community in Carmel, Ind.

The Stratford at WestClay for seniors age 62 and older will cover 8.5 acres in The Village, a 700-acre a Traditional Neighborhood Development that offers several types of businesses, places for people to meet and housing ranging from $100,000 condos to $2 million homes.

"The philosophy behind these types of neighborhood developments is that older communities with traditional main streets and pedestrian scale buildings, designed before the automobile started to dictate how cities functioned, worked better than newer cities," said Dan Rosenthal, principal and project manager with the St. Louis-based architect, The Lawrence Group.

"If the car is no longer the dominant factor in designing towns, the communities not only look better, they also generate more social interactions. So, in these types of communities, you will find that parking is hidden from the main streets as much as possible, and pedestrian and bike traffic is encouraged."

The Stratford at WestClay combines nineteenth century architectural designs in 216 units, including 40 one-story English-cottage style bungalows, plus an adjacent main residence and commons building with 131 independent-living apartments, 30 assisted-living units and 12 skilled nursing facility beds.

Bungalows range in size from 1,275 sq. ft. to 1,390 sq. ft. and offer two bedrooms, two baths, a laundry room, patio and attached garages. The independent-living apartment homes, including a limited number of penthouses, are designed to assist seniors who are able to care for themselves, except for a few activities. The 12 skilled nursing facility beds provide 24-hour care.

Both the independent-living and assisted-living apartments offer one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans ranging in size from 760 sq. ft. to 3,240 sq. ft.

The Stratford at WestClay offers an elegant, country-club lifestyle and many services and facilities geared for active seniors. Residents can enjoy amenities within the three-story main residence and commons building such as a restaurant, bar and grill, indoor pool, fitness center, billiards, theater, internet café, library and hospitality center.

Residents of The Stratford at WestClay also will enjoy access to shops, restaurants, banking, dry cleaning, spas, dental services and much more within the Village Center and Uptown District located nearby.

Naperville Interchange To Get $112 Million Upgrade

The Illinois Tollway and DuPage County officials broke ground on a $112 million project to reconfigure and rebuild the Naperville Road interchange on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) to reduce congestion for Tollway drivers exiting at Naperville Road, as well as those traveling on the local road network.

The interchange improvements are part of the next phase of the I-88 Rebuild & Widen Project between Washington Street and Finley Road, part of the Tollway's $5.3 billion Congestion-Relief Program.

In addition to coordinating construction of the local improvements with the Tollway's I-88 Rebuild & Widen Project, DuPage County has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Tollway, committing to fund about $50 million in cash and in-kind contributions-nearly half of the cost of the interchange and related local improvements.

Illinois Tollway policy requires local participation from communities that benefit from Tollway improvements and enhanced access.

The Tollway has agreements with other communities for Tollway other improvements, including a $20 million local contribution from communities that will directly benefit economically from the construction of the 12.5-mi. extension of the North-South Tollway (I-355) in Will County from I-55 to I-80.

The I-88 Rebuild & Widening work from Washington Street to Finley Road begins next year-the eastbound mainline lanes are scheduled to be rebuilt and widened in 2007; westbound lanes are scheduled to be rebuilt and widened in 2008. By the end of 2008, drivers will have four lanes of traffic in each direction from Illinois Route 59 to Finley Road.

Conversion Planned for 127-Unit St. Louis Apartment

The 127-unit 60 Plaza Square apartment in downtown St. Louis will be converted into a condominium.

The Chicago-based developer, Silverstone Properties, purchased the property for an undisclosed amount from a private invest group.

The 13-story property, originally built in 1961, is located at the corner of 17th Avenue and Olive Street.

Floor plans feature one- and two-bedroom layouts ranging in size from 434 sq. ft. to 1,060 sq. ft. Half the units have balconies.

In addition to the standard floor plans, there are also two 985-sq.-ft. live/work spaces and about 4,800 sq. ft. of commercial space. The property also has a surface parking lot.

Prices will range from the $80,000s for studios to the low $200,000 for two-bedroom units.

Fort Wayne's Parkview
To Get Medical Office

Parkview Hospital, a regional not-for-profit health system serving northeast Indiana and western Ohio, plans to develop a three-story, 105,380-sq.-ft. medical office and ambulatory services building.

The facility will connect to the existing hospital building of the Parkview North campus in Fort Wayne.

The building will sit on approximately 1.3 acres. Steel construction will be used with a combination of brick, flagstone, precast and windows for the exterior. Plans for the interior lobby include marble or granite flooring and wood accent paneling.

This facility will provide space for a variety of uses, including physician office space, a registration area, pre-admissions testing, diagnostic imaging, a blood draw lab, radiation oncology, medical oncology, an ambulatory services center and cytogenetics.

Bremner-Duke, the developer, is a joint venture between Indianapolis-based Bremner Healthcare, a national developer and manager of healthcare facilities, and Duke Realty Corp., also based in Indianapolis.

In the past year, the Bremner-Duke partnership began eight healthcare related projects totaling more than $100 million in new development across the country.

Centene to Develop Mixed-Use Facility

St. Louis-based Centene Corp. has announced that it is developing Centene Plaza, mixed-use facility in west suburban Clayton to serve as its national headquarters, in addition to providing office, retail, restaurants and parking.

Chicago-based U.S. Equities will be the majority partner and St. Louis-based Clayco Realty Group will provide local development. St. Louis-based Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum Inc. will provide architectural design services.

Centene provides programs and related services to individuals receiving benefits under Medicaid, including Supplemental Security Income and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Cancer Center Under Way In Southern Indiana

Seymour, Ind.-based Schneck Medical Center broke ground in July for a cancer center.

While medical oncology services have been available at Schneck since 1986, patients who needed radiation therapy often had to travel to nearby cities to receive the care. Residents said they wanted more care options that could be delivered closer to home, leading Schneck to develop a stand-alone cancer center.

The new cancer center will offer treatment in a visually calming and inspiring environment.

Treatment areas will include eight medical oncology stations, exam rooms, a waiting area, one linear accelerator and room to accommodate a second similar piece of equipment. The treatment areas will offer open infusion areas for chemotherapy and some infusion bays with screen walls, allowing patients to decide whether they want privacy or interaction. Windows allow patients to look outside while receiving treatment; a healing garden is planned for the future.

The cancer center also will offer a boutique for specialty items, a staff conference center and a community room. A pneumatic tube system will allow transfer of samples and medications to the nearby medical center.

Construction should be complete during the summer of 2007. Indianapolis-based BSA LifeStructures is the architect on the project.

Sub Named for $535M St. Louis Highway Project