Willow Glen Resident

News

Pediatric daycare center approved for children with medical needs

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

My Friends Pediatric Center, the first of its kind in the Bay Area, will open its doors in Willow Glen.

The daycare center for 40 children with medical needs was approved unanimously for a conditional use permit May 30 by the San Jose Planning Commission. It will be located on a commercially zoned site.

"My clients are excited to provide relief and an outlet to parents in a community where this type of service does not exist," said project spokesman Henry Cord.

The new business will have registered and vocational nurses providing treatment to children while they are in the center, including breathing assistance, asthma management, tube feeding and medication administration.

The business, owned and operated by Bill and Nancy Giachino, will be located on a 0.72-acre site at 2288 Lincoln Ave. near Curtner Avenue. The project proposal includes complete interior and exterior modifications to a vacant 3,600-square-foot office building. Other on-site modifications will be made to create a medically safe environment for both children and parents.

There is another building on the parcel that is being used as a beauty salon.

The pediatric daycare center has on the north a gas station and two single-family detached homes; there are multi-family residential uses to the east, Roy Avenue to the south and commercial uses across Lincoln Avenue to the west.

According to the planning department memo, there are nine similar pediatric child health-care centers in California.

"We are looking forward to sprucing up the property," Cord said.

The Giachinos chose the building primarily for its location at the corner of Lincoln and Curtner avenues, across from the former Silver Leaf Antiques. Its proximity to Highway 87 and Almaden Expressway also made it an ideal site.

"This location is phenomenal," Cord said. "It's in San Jose, which is central to the valley, and it's on Lincoln Avenue, a known corridor in the city. It draws from a wide circle."

Owners of My Friends Pediatric are currently preparing construction drawings. Once done, construction work will begin, Cord said.

"We want to be ready to open by the time school opens up," Cord said. "They are looking at no later than September. If we can beat that date, we will."

The Willow Glen location will be the owners' third location, with two in the Sacramento area.

For more information, visit www.my friendsonline.org.