Date: Fri 29-Aug-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

health-assisted-living-Ashlar

Full Text:

Ashlar Plan For "Assisted Living" Complex Weighed By P&Z

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are considering a request from

Ashlar of Newtown to build a rest home for the elderly as an addition to its

nursing home on Toddy Hill Road.

Ashlar is seeking a special exception to the zoning regulations to build

Lockwood Lodge, a proposed 48-unit assisted-living apartment complex which

would be connected to Ashlar's existing 156-bed nursing home.

The rest home would be housed in a three-story building connected to the

northern end of the nursing home.

In his review of the development proposal, the fire marshal wrote he would

withhold his approval of the project until the applicant provides an

independently produced firefighting study. The fire marshal also wants the

applicant to provide fire lanes on the driveway turnaround.

Masonicare has entered into an agreement with a firm to perform a firefighting

study, according to attorney Robert Hall, representing the nursing home.

Mr Hall represents Masonicare, also known as the Masonic Charity Foundation of

Connecticut. Masonicare is the parent organization of Ashlar of Newtown.

Ashlar President Thomas Gutner told P&Z members August 21 that health care is

a rapidly changing field. Having a rest home at Ashlar is intended to limit

health care costs, he said. The state's population is aging significantly, he

added.

Ashlar wants to build an assisted-living facility, he said, noting that it

would provide more care than is available at an "independent living" facility,

but not as much care as is provided at a "skilled nursing care" facility such

as Ashlar's nursing home.

Residents in assisted-living settings need some help with activities such as

eating, bathing, toileting, and dressing, he said. The compact apartments in

such a facility provide a home-like setting which is less expensive than

nursing home care, he said.

Having an assisted-living complex would allow Ashlar to serve more older

adults and provide a broader range of services, he said. Such facilities are

cost-effective while providing a safe and secure place to live for the

elderly, he said.

Typical residents of assisted-living facilities are widows or widowers. A

typical resident is an 81- or 82-year-old woman.

Six of the 48 apartments would be larger than the others, allowing double

occupancy in the six units and providing room for up to 54 residents, Mr Hall

said.

The project would include a common area linking the rest home to the nursing

home. A new main entrance to the overall complex would be built.

Engineer Larry Edwards, representing Masonicare, said the expansion plans

involve increasing parking spaces from 105 to 172 to meet increased demand.

Similarly, septic waste disposal facilities would be expanded.

The three million gallons of water in a pond on the site would be augmented

with a 40,000-gallon water storage tank for firefighting use, he said.

Traffic Engineer Irving Chann, representing Masonicare, said the residents of

an assisted-living facility rarely would own automobiles, with their

transportation being provided by other means. Sixteen new employees would be

hired to staff the facility, he said.

A new facility would generate an additional 100 vehicle trips daily at Ashlar,

according to Mr Chann. If approved, the rest home would be occupied by 1999,

he said, adding the traffic "level of service" in the area wouldn't be

adversely affected by the presence of a rest home.

But resident Marcus McReedy of 112 Toddy Hill Road expressed concerns over

increased traffic being generated by a rest home. He said sight lines to the

north of the Ashlar driveway pose hazardous conditions for exiting motorists

turning south on Toddy Hill Road. He suggested the town reduce the posted

speed limit on Toddy Hill Road near Ashlar.

Mr Edwards said the applicants plan to improve sight lines in that area to

improve travel conditions.

Mr Hall told P&Z members the proposed development will be in harmony with the

neighborhood and won't be visible from Toddy Hill Road.

He said nothing comparable to the proposed assisted-living complex exists in

town. There is a need for such a facility and that need will grow, he said.

Last January, P&Z members approved two zoning amendments sought by Ashlar to

allow it to proceed with planning for the proposed assisted-living complex.

Ashlar had requested that the zoning regulations be customized to allow

elevator shaft enclosures to protrude four feet above the roofline of an

elderly housing building, and also to allow a parapet wall on such a building

to rise four feet above the roofline.

For mechanical reasons, elevator shafts must be taller than the roofline of

the building in which they are installed. A parapet wall would enhance the

look of the planned assisted-living building, having it architecturally match

the nursing home.

The proposed addition to the Ashlar complex would be somewhat smaller than an

expansion project sought by Ashlar in the past.