Commission OKs rezoning for assisted living

The Fort Scott Planning Commission has approved rezoning a piece of property for the future location of new assisted living residences.

During a public meeting Monday, members of the commission discussed and considered an application to amend the zoning ordinance for land at Ninth and Horton streets, and also fielded questions from audience members before voting on the issue.

Neighborhood Senior Living, Inc., a Kansas developer, is looking to expand its assisted living and memory care concepts and seeks to construct three buildings on the vacant lot, the former site of Mercy Hospital.

Scott Holder, vice president of construction for Neighborhood Senior Living, Inc., was present with renderings and floor plans of the proposed buildings and to answer questions from the commission and audience members. He said the company strives for a "homelike atmosphere" for its residences.

"Our skilled facilities have been very successful," he said.

Neighborhood Senior Living, Inc., has worked with city officials since fall of 2013 to plan for the addition of Country Place Senior Living and Country Place Memory Care residences.

Holder talked about the company's purpose and the potential benefits of the additional residences in Fort Scott. Benefits Holder mentioned included creation of jobs, increased property tax revenue, attraction of new and former residents to town, and possible recruitment of new industries.

"The total investment in the community is about $5.5 million," he said.

The company's proposal includes 26 suites in the assisted living residence and two memory care residences, each with eight suites. The memory care residences will provide specialized care for seniors living with demential challenges. Holder said construction on two of the buildings would begin in August with construction on the other to begin in March 2015. Projected opening dates for the residences is January 2015, April 2015 and August 2015. The planned 26-suite assisted living residences will be 17,436-square-feet while each of the two eight-suite memory care residences will be 4,200-square-feet. The campus would employ about 25 to 30 people.

Questions about the rezoning process, classification of property and how land is zoned, proximity of the proposed buildings to other property, use of the units and other topics were raised by audience members and clarified by experts during the meeting. Holder said there would be access to the buildings from both Horton and Ninth streets.

Representatives of other local nursing facilities, including Fort Scott Manor and Medicalodges, were present for the discussion and voiced some concerns regarding the proposed residences.

Lynette Emmerson, representing Fort Scott Manor, asked Holder if a market study had been done prior to the company's plan to expand into Fort Scott. Holder said an "in-house market study" in Fort Scott and Bourbon County had been completed but an external market study had not been done. Emmerson also inquired as to the need for another assisted living facility in Fort Scott.

Emmerson said she didn't "understand" the company's ownership and management.

Holder said the company is owned by investors and the company operates and manages several facilities in Kansas and Texas. He said there is a need for additional beds in the county.

"There are not a lot of beds in the county," Holder said. "There's a need for nearly 200 beds."

Holder said in other communities where the company operates residences, "we work to become allies with people in the industry."

"We never want anyone to fail. We don't want to be stepping on toes," he said, adding he said he believes there is "plenty of potential for the area."

Following a vote, the commission approved the rezoning of the land from Commercial (C-1) and Residential (R-1) to Residential (R-3).

After the vote, Travis McBride, representing Medicalodges, said he was "surprised and disappointed" and said Medicalodges was "never approached" regarding a local need for additional beds in the assisted living industry.

"We do operate multiple assisted living facilities," he said. "Everyone struggles for the same basket of customers," adding he doesn't think the new facility would attract new customers to Fort Scott, but only current residents.

Commissioner Jim Pitts said he appreciated the comments and concerns from those who attended the meeting. Pitts said the planning commission's job is not to consider the market factors regarding the proposed expansion, but to consider whether the property in question is "conducive to the type of use" proposed. Pitts also said the commission was responding to Holder's request for amendment of the zoning ordinance.

"That's not what we do, dictate who can or can't run a business," he said.

Codes Manager Brent Crays said the planning commission "only makes a recommendation on the proper use of the land."

Crays said those with concerns regarding the addition of the residences will likely get more input at the June 17 meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission, which will have the final say on the recommendation of the planning commission.

"Your comments will carry more weight for that board," he said.

During the Monday meeting, the commission also approved recommending Diana Mitchell to fill a vacant spot with the commission. That recommendation will go to the city commission for its approval.