A Sonoma County-based company that's eyeing a former orchard on Winchester Boulevard as the site for a residential care facility got a cool reception when it approached the town last week.
Aegis Assisted Living, headquartered in Windsor, wants to put a 92-bed home for the elderly at 14561 Winchester Blvd., but town officials are skeptical about the location between a Highway 85 off-ramp and the train tracks.
But the project, which went to the Conceptual Development Advisory Committee Feb. 10, was also praised by some committee members for its design. The CDAC, composed of councilmembers and planning commissioners, is an advisory body that takes a first look at development proposals.
Aegis' plan shows a two-story, 65,000-square-foot building. Developer Steve McCullagh says the whole facility is designed with the special needs of the elderly in mind, by making wheelchair access easy and creating an environment that's not disorienting to residents who have Alzheimer's or dementia.
Several committee members expressed concerns that the facility, next door to the Courtside Club, would be in close proximity to railroad tracks, tennis courts, a pool and an industrial park.
"A lot of people think elderly people want to be out in the country where it's peaceful, but that couldn't be further from the truth," McCullagh responded. "They want to see activity."
Members also raised concerns about the site being isolated from other residential areas and shopping, and about housing Alzheimer's patients next to an active rail line. The tracks form the southern boundary of the property, and trains, bound for a quarry in Cupertino, use the tracks three afternoons a week. "I don't think it's conducive to healthy residential living," said Councilman Randy Attaway.
The committee also pushed the issue of affordable housing. According to town code, 10 percent of the units would have to be below market price units, but committee member Sandy Decker suggested that adding an additional 10 percent--a total of 20 percent--would be a definite community benefit. "BMPs are something we hold sacred," she said. Linda Lubeck also pushed for affordable units. "A lot of seniors are on fixed incomes," she added.
If Aegis sticks with the project, it ultimately needs to be approved by the Town Council, because it requires a zone change. And before allowing the zone change, councilmembers must find that the project has a community benefit.
Residents would rent studio, or one- or two-bedroom apartments at the facility. Although the facility would be set up to accommodate non-ambulatory residents, many would be able to get around on their own. Many of the residents would be in their late 80s or 90s, McCullagh said. Accordingly, McCullagh said the project would have a minimal traffic impact on the area, because most of the residents will not use cars. Rather, he said, they will be shuttled to events, church, shopping and doctors' appointments by a bus and car operated by the facility.
Aegis operates 11 assisted-living residences in Northern California and Nevada, and has another four under construction, including one in Aptos. McCullagh says the company designs and develops all of its sites with the needs of the elderly in mind, and continues to own and operate its facilities.
The 2.3 acre site is what's left of a 37-acre apricot and prune orchard, after much of the land went to the Courtside Club and Highway 85.
Guy Lamar, who still lives on his family's property, remembers canning apricots for one month each year when he was a child, and recalls the passenger trains that ran through the area toward downtown until 1959.
At the request of Lamar's family, part of Aegis' plan is to preserve the farmhouse and water tower on the property by moving them out of the way of the new building, and possibly incorporating the house as a social gathering place, McCullagh said.
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