$128M Development To Transform Old Copley Hospital In Aurora

AURORA, IL — The Aurora City Council unanimously approved a $128 million project that would transform the long-defunct site of the old Copley Hospital into a new mixed-use development called Avalon Heights helmed by Fox Valley Developers, LLC. The plans, which Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin called "the biggest investment on Aurora’s east side in generations," would revitalize the sprawling 9-acre campus with senior living spaces, apartments, health care facilities, and other amenities.

Living Spaces

According to an update on the City of Aurora Facebook page, Gardant Management Solutions plans to fill three wings of the hospital building with senior living spaces. In total, 102 units would be dedicated to senior housing.

Another part of the building will be used to create living spaces for adults who have developmental disabilities. City officials wrote that the independent apartment community will allow parents to find a housing solution for adult children who have "cognitive and developmental disabilities."

Local Health Care

Part of Avalon Heights will also be dedicated to providing health care facilities for community members and Aurora residents to access. Developers are working with a physician-run company called Vituity and Dr. Stahis Poulakidas to offer a "larger medical suite" and a variety of health care options at the site of the old hospital.

(At Least) Two New Parks

The 9-acre property also features an adjacent patch of land that will be partially revamped by the Fox Valley Park District to include a new park. The park, funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, will feature walking trails and a path that connects the park to the remainder of the neighborhood.

The East Aurora School District also plans to build a park in Avalon Heights that will be home to a new administrative center that will connect to nearby Bardwell Elementary School.