Horizon West assisted living facility passes

A new assisted-living  facility is coming to Horizon West.

County leaders unanimously approved a substantial change request to allow for the development of a 75-bed assisted living facility along Seidel Road in Horizon West Village F. 

The facility will be built on about a 2-acre portion of a parcel that has an overall size of 20.26 acres. Only about 2.8 acres of the overall subject parcel is developable because of surrounding wetlands. The overall is parcel located west of Seidel Road and about 1,600 feet south of Summerlake Park Boulevard. Prior to the approval, the site was approved for the development of up to 19 townhomes.

Residents who opposed the facility raised concerns over infrastructure, traffic and bringing a commercial facility into a residential area.

“Our infrastructure, such as (traffic) lights and roads, are not even in place and yet we’re still allowing more developments and allowing changes and allowing more things to come in without that infrastructure being in place,” said Jodi Jessop, who lives in the Lake Hancock Preserve community adjacent to the site. “There’s still nothing being done at the Seidel (Road) intersection of Summerlake Park, where this traffic would be impacted.”

Jessop said she chose to purchase her home in Lake Hancock Preserve because she wanted to live in a residential area.

“I moved specifically to a suburban neighborhood knowing what would be built around me, and for them to change this is a sleight of hand,” Jessop said.

Shevy Sehrawat, who lives in Lakeview Pointe, also opposed the facility.

“When we purchased our home in Lakeview Pointe in Horizon West, we knew exactly what was going where,” Sehrawat said. “We feel like were deceived, because we were supposed (to be) buying a house next to 19 townhomes, not next to an assisted-living facility. I feel like it just opened up a can of worms to where … more people are going to try to get these types of (changes) put in to allow commercial properties (in residential areas).”

Tara Tedrow, of Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor and Reed P.A., spoke on behalf of the applicant for the project. She said the subject site was permitted for a building height of up to four stories, but the assisted-living facility only will be between one and three stories. 

“Our project will not permit any other commercial use on the site,” Tedrow said, adding that the applicant even made it a voluntary condition of approval to only build the requested assisted-living facility and not build any other commercial facility onsite. “This request is limited solely to an assisted-living facility.”

Although an assisted-living facility operates as a residential facility, it is treated as a commercial facility. In terms of traffic, the facility would have the same traffic impact as the 19 townhomes, Tedrow said. 

Tedrow added the particular type of facility that will be built will provide limited care and is intended to be for seniors age 55 and older who don’t require significant assistance. The nearest assisted-living facilities from the subject site are about four to six miles away and offer different services from what will be offered at the Horizon West facility. The facility will be operated by American Healthcare Management Group.

“In terms of medical assistance, it is really just with average daily-life activities,” Tedrow said. “(It’s) things like waking up and making sure someone reminds you to take your medicine. Your meals will be prepared, and it’s not a restaurant open to the public. … Some of the residents here, again, they’re not ill or infirmed in the sense that you’re having hospice care or dementia patients.”

District 1 Commissioner Betsy VanderLey said there are different levels of licenses for the different types of facilities. She said this particular facility will not be for seniors who need a deeper level of care.

“The applicant has specifically stated that they are not seeking for those other two increased types of licensure, and they’re willing to make it a condition of approval,” VanderLey said. “What they’re asking for is not for memory care (and) it is not for skilled nursing. It is simply — I call it — ‘assisted living lite.’”

VanderLey added the Horizon West Master Plan calls for a variety of housing in the community. 

“While I take great care in making sure that we don’t set a precedent in any residential areas to allow adjacent commercial uses, I’m also keenly aware that … the language in Horizon West specifically states that we need a variety of housing types next to each other — including different types of housing for those that are aging in our community,” she said.