The Sagora Senior Living project was denied by the planning and zoning commission during the May 13 meeting. The project owners, Confluent Development, appealed the decision.
Council voted 6-0 to approve the appeal of the decision and then later approved the resolution for the development to forge ahead. Mayor Bobby Lindamood and council members Brandi Elder, Scotty Richardson, Ben Graves, Kimberly Holt Gunderson and Tim Raine voted in favor of the appeal.
Newly-appointed council member Mark Alphonso was recused from the vote since he was part of planning and zoning during the previous case hearing.
The background
The 18-acre undeveloped property is south of Cheek-Sparger Road adjacent to the east side of Wayne Drive. The land was approved for such a development in 2012, but it never came to fruition, according to city documents.
“It’s already been passed, we cannot stop it, by law, from being developed,” Lindamood said.
He said the proposed development is 18,500 square feet smaller than the previous plan and the total unit count is 26 lower, while the assisting living units have nine fewer than the original plan development.
Sagora Senior Living, based in Fort Worth, has been in business for more than three decades and operates 82 communities in 13 states, according to Bryan McCaleb, president of Sagora Senior Living.
The details
The housing complex would be for adults 55 years or older and would consist of duplex cottages around the perimeter of the property and the main building will provide living and support services for independent and memory care residents.
An office or commercial use that was proposed in the 2012 plan is not part of this project, according to officials with Confluent Development.
That was done in part to help limit traffic, which was a concern of some of the residents who spoke against the development.
In total, there 255 units:
- 38 independent cottages
- 132 independent living units
- 65 assisted living units
- 20 memory care
Changes to the plan compared to the 2012 one include less parking, more open space and greater setback from the east and south property lines, according to documents.
What else?
City Manager Jerry Ducay talked about the traffic issues that will be part of the project.
A right-turn lane on northbound Wayne Drive will be added where it intersects with Cheek-Sparger Road.
According to city documents, Cheek-Sparger Road and Bedford Road are a a possibility for a roundabout in the future. Funding for the roundabout would be from roadway and water/sewer impact fees from this project, as well as contributions from Confluent Development and Covenant Christian Academy.
Ducay said the removal of the proposed office space helped decrease the proposed traffic issues by 60%.
What they’re saying
McCaleb said he saw a need for this type of community in Colleyville.
"There's no place to move in Colleyville unless you need memory care," he said. "You're going to love and take care of your loved ones the best when you're the closest to them.”
The outlook
Colleyville Fire Department Chief Mark Cantrell was asked how this type of project would impact his department. He said he estimated the development add between 125 to 175 calls per year, which is less than a nursing home. Cantrell said a facility like this would average half of a call a year per bed, per year. He said that would be less than 10% of the call volume the fire department receives and his crew would be able to absorb the increase.
McCaleb expects the facility to employee 120 workers spread out through three shifts
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include more information about the number of units in the project.
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