Long-vacant Aurora hospital campus redeveloped to provide housing, retail and more

AURORA, Ill. (CBS) – The city of Aurora cut the ribbon on the newly-developed Copley Hospital.

The huge campus has been vacant since 1995 and is open again with new resources for the community. CBS 2’s Asal Rezaei was in Aurora to learn just how the new resources mean for the local community.

The property is now called the Bloom Haven Campus. It’s a place that will provide private housing along with medical and retail space that city leaders said is critical to the community.

For the past 27 years, the former Copley Hospital ground looked nothing like it does today after its transformation. It’s already home to over a dozen residents with cognitive disabilities, many of them brought there by their parents.

“The reason why we brought him home last year was because he was in an unsafe environment,” said Sherry La Rosa, the parent of a resident.

Parish La Rosa’s parents consider this a safe haven for him compared to other facilities he’s lived in.

“To have him in the same community where we’re at, where [in] 10 minutes, we’re there to see him if he needs us. So it’s wonderful,” La Rosa’s mother said.

The Westin Bridge building has 53 studio and one-bedroom apartments, with separate wings for men and women. There are 14 units filled with residents ranging from 22 to 42 years old.

A transitional facility for disabled adults who are ready to live independently, the private-housing facility is staffed with support coaches 24/7.

“The ultimate goal is for him to get a job in the community so he can be a part of the community,” La Rosa said of her son.

Plans to rebuild the 340,000-acre property started with a group of local developers five years ago. About $125 million in investments from private and public partnerships later, they expect to provide about 250 jobs on the campus.

Along with moving East Aurora School District headquarters here, they’re also opening 99 units for senior living, along with an urgent care, pharmacy and renovated retail space.

“We’re making a difference,” said Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin. “Westin Bridges is making a difference in lives of people, young people that deserve to be heard and have a voice.”

About half of the campus is developed. Project leaders expect the senior wing to be done by this year, and by next summer, they expect the entire Bloom Haven campus to be filled with both residents and retailers.

The campus accepted its first group of residents in August.

There are already a dozen men and women living there, and two more residents are moving in this week.