CERTUS Senior Living requests receive recommendation by planning commission

West Orange soon may get a new assisted-living facility after county planners voted to recommend that county leaders approve land-use and rezoning requests made by CERTUS Senior Living.

The Orange County Planning and Zoning Commission voted April 19 to recommend the Orange County Board of County Commissioners adopt the future land-use designation amendment and rezoning requests pertaining to a 5.39-acre property located on Conroy Windermere Road west of South Hiawassee Road. The property is owned by CERTUS Senior Living and could be the company's next site for CERTUS Premier Memory Care Living, Orange County Planner Nicolas Thalmueller said.

“(The owner)  has submitted a small-scale Comprehensive Plan amendment ... to change the Future Land Use designation of the 5.39-acre subject property from low-density Residential (LDR) to Planned Development-Commercial (Assisted Living Facility) (PD-C) (ALF),” Thalmueller said. “The applicant has also applied to rezone the property (from R-CE Country Estate District) to Planned Development (District).”

CERTUS Senior Living proposes building a 43,019-square-foot assisted-living facility with 64 beds on its property. However, it needs to have the property rezoned to build. The facility will offer memory-care services for individuals diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. CERTUS has two assisted-living facilities under construction in Central Florida — one in Mount Dora and the other in Orange City. Additionally, two more assisted-living facilities in Central Florida — one in Longwood and the other in Waterford Lakes in Orlando — will begin construction soon.

Thalmueller said county commissioners will make the final decision at their June 5 meeting.

“If the requests are approved by the BCC (Board of County Commissioners), the applicant will need to submit a Development Plan that will have to be approved by the Development Review Committee prior to the applicant beginning the permitting process,” Thalmueller said. “The applicant would then submit for building permits.”

Representatives from CERTUS did not respond to multiple attempts seeking comment.