Prairie Trail + Trinity Park Vista

New Lenox, IL & Northlake, IL

Life-enhancing homes designed to foster independent living

Prairie Trail and Trinity Park Vista Apartments represent one of WJW’s continuing, collaborative partnerships with a larger project team including client, contractor and development consultant. These affordable residential projects, sited in New Lenox and Northlake, Ill. are designed specifically as supportive, wellness-enhancing environments for adults with developmental disabilities. For many residents, these homes represent a rare opportunity to live independently and with dignity, in a place that welcomes and enables them with thoughtful design and space for supportive services within easy reach.

Both projects benefit from careful use of restricted available sites in self-sustaining neighborhoods comprised of single-family residences, mixed-use buildings, public services, and easy access to transportation. Each site bridges the gap between nearby single-family residential neighborhoods and commercial services, including health care options that meet resident needs close to home.

  • At Prairie Trail, the design reflects the character of surrounding communities, making the residents instantly a part of their larger neighborhood.
  • Interior common spaces at Prairie Trail include use of color, details and even artwork to reference the surrounding community and create a sense of place.
  • Prairie Trail: Accessibility is a key attribute of a design that centers on serving the resident community, providing functionality, dignity and the opportunity to live independently for a population often denied that chance.
  • Intelligent, careful site planning at Prairie Trail allowed for optimization of available space, creating room for a range of amenities that includes resident common areas and activity spaces as well as counseling offices and fully functioning outdoor spaces.

Offering 25 and 16 affordable housing units respectively, Prairie Trail and Trinity Park Vista Apartments consist of easily accessible two and three-story buildings. A mix of one- and three-bedroom units and common areas on both first and upper floors, the design builds in accommodations for caregivers in the form of en suite arrangements in all three-bedroom units. In addition to their proximity to medical care as part of surrounding development, each building offers on-site amenities including counseling offices, community kitchens and activity space, and outdoor amenities such as a gardening area, recreation area, gazebo, and a walking path through a beautifully designed prairie.

Supported by funding through a Permanent Supportive Housing grant from IHDA, the projects have been recognized with Bronze and Silver certifications under the National Green Building Standard, while delivering on their most important intention: creating a fulfilling home for their community of residents.

  • Trinity Park Vista
  • The three-story buildings, a mix of one- and three-bedroom units, can accommodate both residents and caregivers at Trinity Park Vista.
  • Both scale and architectural detail were thoughtfully considered as WJW created designs that seamlessly integrate into lively existing neighborhoods. At Trinity Park Vista, the project bridges the gap between nearby single-family residential neighborhoods, multifamily and commercial buildings.

Related News