ROCKFORD — A local church has purchased a plot of land along Garrett Lane that was previously planned for a 240-unit apartment development and 136-unit senior care facility.
Stateline Church bought 19 acres on Garrett Lane from Rockford Senior Campus for $2.4 million on March 6, according to records from the Winnebago County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. The land is north of Home Depot and a residential subdivision. It is just east of the church’s current home at 601 N. Perryville Road, which sits on about 3.5 acres.
The future of that land was the subject of City Council debate about two years ago as it was pitched for a senior living campus with apartments, assisted living and a memory care facility. Neighbors living south of the proposed development had raised issue with the density of the project and its potential to exacerbate issues with traffic along the roadway. Supporters said it provided much-needed housing options and that the site’s existing commercial zoning would have allowed for even larger traffic volumes…