CHAMPAIGN -- The Book of Genesis makes no reference to an orange waterfall in Eden. But in the modern Eden, there will be.

That's right. When Eden Supportive Living opens a 150-unit apartment building for the physically disabled in downtown Champaign in mid-2012, it's expected to have a nine-story waterfall flowing into a reflecting pool.

And on Illini game days, Mitch Hamblet, the president of Eden Supportive Living, says the waterfall will be illuminated with orange light.

Obviously, this is no ordinary apartment building.

The community, licensed for residents 22 to 64 years old, is slated to have a fully accessible exercise and yoga facility on the ninth floor and a garden terrace as well.

On the third floor will be a theater, music studio and training kitchen for cooking classes all designed for people with disabilities. There will also be a "cyber lounge" equipped with computers.

Hamblet, 40, and his father, Mike, 70, were in town last week to discuss the $15.5 million apartment community. The building, to be constructed on the site of the Robeson Realty office at 222 N. State St., C, will overlook West Side Park.

The Hamblets are no stranger to the concept. The family-owned business has two other communities for the physically disabled in Chicago and North Aurora one with 156 units, the other with 135 and is planning another in Chicago's South Shore Neighborhood.

Supportive living communities fill the gap between skilled care and independent living. It's an environment where people can pretty much live on their own, with help available if and when they need it.

But until six years ago, virtually all supportive living communities in Illinois were designed for people 65 and older.

The Hamblets who had family members with multiple sclerosis felt younger people needed supportive living services too. Otherwise, their only alternative might be a nursing home.

Eden's goal was to provide places where younger adults with disabilities could enjoy "a condo-like lifestyle."

Mitch Hamblet said residents of Eden communities in Chicago and North Aurora include people who are or have been teachers, police officers, firefighters and graduate students.

They take part in a variety of activities sailing on Lake Michigan, playing on baseball teams, taking part in garden clubs, forming musical bands, even operating their own stores within the building.

Just because Eden is licensed for adults 22 to 64 doesn't mean residents have to move out when they turn 65, Hamblet said.

In most cases, people who are already residents can stay beyond 65, Mitch Hamblet said. But the community isn't licensed to accept new residents that age or older.

Eden can accommodate both single people and husbands and wives, but it doesn't accommodate children, he added.

Not everyone with physical disabilities is a candidate for residency at Eden, Hamblet said.

Residents must be ambulatory. If they're in wheelchairs, they must be able to transfer themselves from the wheelchair to the bed.

If they need to receive medical injections, they must be able to inject themselves. But Eden staff can remind people to take medications and can arrange to get medications.

Those who apply for admission to Eden will be interviewed by the company's board to make sure they're good fits for the community.

The applicant must also pass a short "determination of need" screening conducted by a third party to determine whether the prospective resident actually needs the supportive services Eden provides.

The all-inclusive rate for residents is expected to be $2,701 a month. Of that, about $600 is for rent, and the remainder is for assistive services, such as meals, housekeeping, transportation and activities.

For the assistive services portion, residents can pay with their own resources, rely on private insurance or get financial help through the state's Medicaid waiver program.

But residents must have some sort of income to cover the rent portion, whether the income comes from a job, pension, Social Security, a trust or insurance, Hamblet said.

Not only does supportive living get people out of institutional housing, it also saves the state money, Hamblet said.

Supportive living arrangements cost less than the institutional care given by nursing homes, he added.

As for the building, Hamblet said plans call for using the framing of the five-story Robeson Realty structure as the base for the nine-story apartment building. Eden will also have a "tower" addition on the north end, with ground-level parking below the addition.

A restaurant for residents will be on the first floor, looking out toward West Side Park.

Apartments which will range from 650 to 900 square feet will be on the second through ninth floors. The ninth floor will have penthouses with private terraces, and there will be "a slight upcharge" for those, Hamblet said.

Units on the west side of the building will have floor-to-ceiling windows with Juliet balconies that don't protrude from the wall. Units on the east side will have private terraces with sliding glass doors.

Absolute Architecture of Winnetka is the architect for the project.

Since The News-Gazette broke news of the development March 16, Eden has received about 30 inquiries regarding the project, Hamblet said.

Eden is not yet accepting applications for the apartments, but is taking names and addresses of people wanting more information.

Those interested can contact the company at 630-929-3333 or visit its website, http://www.edensupportiveliving.com.

Hamblet said Eden targeted Champaign for a development partly because it's perceived as a community familiar with people with disabilities thanks in part to University of Illinois wheelchair racers and wheelchair basketball teams.

The Hamblets said they've worked on the Champaign project for two years. Part of that time was spent identifying a site "close to libraries, parks, restaurants and shopping that still feels residential," Mitch Hamblet said.

Mike Hamblet has ties to Champaign-Urbana. He received his bachelor's degree from the UI in 1962 and got his law degree from the University of Michigan three years later.

An attorney, he serves as counsel for Eden Supportive Living. He is also on the board of trustees of the University YMCA in Champaign.

Son Mitch received a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1992 and spent his early years in advertising and real estate. From 1999 to 2003, he owned and operated a 190-bed care facility for people with physical and mental disabilities.

Eden opened its first supportive living community in Chicago in 2005 and its Fox Valley community in North Aurora three years later. Today Mitch Hamblet is on the board of directors of the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition.