A room with a view

There could soon be a new option for Seniors looking for accommodations between their own personal home and a stay at Acropolis Manor. With Senior’s housing a hot topic around Prince Rupert these days, a property developer has weighed into the fray with his own vision of seniors housing.

Not to be taken as a replacement for Acropolis Manor, a process that seems to go on and on for north coast seniors, the new development would be of the assisted living style providing three or four floors of apartments that seniors would purchase on a lease back basis.

It would be designed to fill in a gap in the local housing scene as far as seniors go and might help to take some of the pressure off the situation at Acropolis Manor or whatever new structure eventually is built to replace it.

Interestingly enough the developer suggests it would take only about nine months to have the building up and the seniors moved in, the way the Acropolis Manor debate has been going along the North Coast for the last few years, that is something akin to hyper speed in the world of Seniors’ Housing!

The Daily News has a front page look at the potential project, which we provide below.


NEW SENIORS’ HOUSING OPTION ON THE TABLE
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Page One

A Prince Rupert developer is proposing to fill one of the gaps in available Seniors’ housing with a new assisted-living facility.

“I’m involved in another similar project in the Okanagan right now and it gave me the thought that this spot being so close to town would be perfect,” said Geoff Greenwell, 2G Holdings Ltd.

“Seniors don’t want to be stuck 20 miles out of town on the highway; they want to be close to amenities.”

The proposed site is located at the top of Fifth Avenue West and would see the construction of a three to four storey high assisted living facility for largely self-sufficient seniors.

The building would include around 20 units with a mix of one and two bedrooms, some with kitchenettes and some without, and provide amenities like 24 hour on site staffing, including maids and a nurse, as well as a dining room/restaurant style operation.

All the suites would be designed with a panic button, and the entire facility would be wheelchair friendly.

Seniors would pay to live in the facility using the concept of a “lifetime lease”, which would be bought back on a pro-rated basis when the senior moved.

All told, the development would have about a 4,000 square foot footprint, and cost between $1.6 - $1.8 million. It would take around nine months to build once all the approvals came in.

“Looking at where we are, we aren’t really going to affect anyone’s view,” said Greenwell. “I think it’s the best use for this lot, because there’s so little that is zone R-3 or multi-density.”

One potential hurdle for the development is the need to build an access road from Fifth West. Greenwell is hoping to have the city help with the $150,000 cost because the new development would generate about $25,000 per year in taxes rather than the $500 the empty lot currently does.

He would then build a retaining wall and wheel chair ramp down the other side of the property to access Fulton Street and the downtown core.

“I do think there would be a need here,” said Marion Weir, Senior’s Centre president.

“I think it’s a terrific idea and it would be the first downsize from your home.”

One concern Weir did express with the idea was the potential cost of such a facility to the seniors living there, although se surmised there probably would be enough seniors in town who could afford it to fill a potential development of that size.

Weir adds that what seniors are willing, and able, to pay may become more clear once a survey dealing with the issue being circulated by the North Coast Community Asset Development Initiative (NCCADI) is completed.

For the city’s part, staff report they have had some preliminary conversations with the wo8uld be developer but have yet to receive a rezoning application. Nonetheless, the city does say it is interested in the idea and does recognize the need for this type of development.

“I certainly welcomed him and encouraged him,” said Mayor Herb Pond. “The city is eager to achieve some assisted living space.”