Next Door Self Storage President Phil Murphy received approval this week for a mixed-use development he intends to build in Plainfield, Ill. The asset will be called the Crossroads Business Center and is expected to include a storage facility and a 60-unit Heritage Woods Assisted Living Community at the southeast corner of W. 143rd Street and Wallin Drive. The village board also granted the project three drive-through permits on remaining out-lots, according to the source.

Village trustee Cally Larson indicated officials are hopeful the project will lure more people into the area, which currently has an “industrial” aesthetic, the source reported. The business center will be near a police station and public-works building. “I think it would be an advantageous location for those looking to come in and out of the area for storage needs,” Larson said during the meeting.

Though there are at least two existing self-storage facilities serving Plainfield, market research indicates the facilities are highly occupied at 97 percent, according to Murphy’s representative, John Philipchuck. “[Murphy] feels there is room, as Plainfield grows, for an additional facility and felt that this was an excellent location,” Philipchuck said. “He’s willing to take the risk as an entrepreneur. He’s willing to buy all this property from the bank, which has sat on it for a number of years.”

Heritage Woods still needs permit approval to build its portion of the project, according to the source. The facility would be at the south end of the property and serve as a buffer for nearby residences, Philipchuck said. It is expected to offer memory-care services in addition to assisted living.

Next Door operates 14 facilities in Illinois. Based in Naperville, Ill., it’s owned by The Murphy Family.

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