Plano commission approves preliminary site plan for 242-unit independent living facility

A new Watermere facility passed another step in development after Plano’s planning and zoning commission approved its preliminary site plan at a meeting Aug. 17.

Two-minute impact

The new independent living facility from Integrated Senior Lifestyles is planned to have 242 units within a 5-story building, according to city documents, with the following options:

• 119 of the units are planned to be 708 square-foot 1-bedroom apartments
• 123 of the units are planned to be 1,152 square-foot 2-bedroom apartments

Other amenities include a parking garage on the lower level and a 2,000 square-foot dog park, per previous reporting. The development is planned to be constructed near Ohio Drive and Park Boulevard at the former site of Plano Athletic Club which closed in 2025.

Developers can build an apartment complex by right at a 25-foot setback from Ohio Drive due to Senate Bill 840, which allows developers to build multifamily housing by right on property zoned for commercial use.

Dig deeper

Aging-in-place seniors are contributing to Plano’s housing shortage due to a lack of senior housing options in the city, according to a housing study conducted by the city in 2023.

Seniors are expected to be the main source of population growth in the city through 2027, according to the study. Other developments expected to address this need include The Plaza at Spring Creek, which will have 520 independent living units, and the Collin Creek Mall redevelopment, which will have 300 units.