Council voted 7-0 to deny a rezoning and site plan for Forefront Living, which would’ve been located between 300-684 Davis Blvd.
Mayor Shawn McCaskill liked the idea of senior living, just not the location. He referenced HarborChase of Southlake, a senior living community along SH 114.
“This one feels so similar in the sense that the concept was wonderful. I mean, who can argue with the concept of senior living and supporting those folks at that stage of life?” McCaskill said. “It was a location issue and I recall that's ultimately how HarborChase ended up where it is. It's in just a perfect location now ... and it's been a model part of our community.
"So, from my perspective, I'm in the exact same place I was 10 years ago; which it’s wonderful concept, not a good location.”
Put in perspective
The plan proposed by the Dallas non-profit features a mix of housing styles and has changed in scope since an earlier proposal in October.
The 21-acre development would feature up to 190, down from 210 in the last plan presented.
Southlake planning and zoning commission approved the site plan, 3-2, on Nov. 7. With 37% of residents in the 200-foot buffer area opposed to the development, council would have needed a super majority vote to pass it, according to Dennis Killough, Southlake's director of planning and development.
The background
The age-restricted residential community—62 and older—would be similar to The Outlook in Windhaven in Plano, according to Tim Mallad, Forefront Living's chief executive officer.
He said when that assisted living community was hosting an open house, between 20 and 25 Southlake residents were interested but didn’t want to move from Southlake.
“I think that what we have seen from the seniors that live here is they want to stay here,” Mallad said. “We want to create, and we will create a valued asset, a long-term asset. We're not building something to sell.”
Mallad said the residences are CCRC, or Continuing Care Retirement Community. The proposed apartment would feature up to 190 spaces. Earlier numbers were at 252 and then shrunk down to 210, before the current 190 proposal. That lowered the density to 9.9 residents per acre, below the 10 the city staff had requested and lower than the 12.3 residents per acre in an earlier proposal.
The 492,000-square-foot building would feature:
- Independent living units: 158
- Assisted living units: 16
- Memory support units: 16
What else?
According to city documents, Forefront property requires an average income and assets to qualify for the fee structure for care at multiple levels of living. Documents show the average entry fee in Plano was around $500,000 and individuals who move into the community had an income of more than $75,000 a year and typical assets of $2 million.
Mallad said the typical resident stays for about 14 years and the city would not have to worry about a transient population. He said there is currently not enough senior housing capacity and the research done by the city shows the population of those 65 or older will grow 30% by 2029.
“I agree we probably do need more senior living in Southlake,” Council Member Amy Torres-Lepp said. “I just think we need to find a different location.”
