On March 21 the Lloyd Planning Board got their first look at a proposed continuing care retirement community on 53 acres spanning five individual parcels, opposite the Bridgeview Shopping Plaza on Route 9W.

One of the project’s representatives Patti Brooks, of Brooks & Brooks Surveyors, said they are proposing a 112,250 sq/ft multi-story, 127 bed care facility and an Urgent Care facility next to it that will be operated and managed by Concordia Senior Communities. This will be located on 11 of the 53 acres.

Brooks said the residential single family component of the project would cover the remaining 42 acres, with a total of 205 attached and detached, independent living residences, along with some town homes, within a gated community. Building Director Dave Barton questioned this total, saying that 42 acres would allow 4 units per acre for a total of 168 units, not the 205 as Brooks suggested. On this point, Brooks said the code, “is a little bit difficult to navigate because there was an or in there, so we counted it based on the beds in the facility.”

Brooks cited the code: “The maximum total density shall not exceed 12 beds or 4 dwelling units per acre….so we calculated it out on the 12 beds in the care facility to make sure we didn’t go over the density. The way I interpreted that is that you have a choice of either saying how many beds are in your overall facility or 4 independent dwelling units.” She said certain parts of the town code, “are silent as to which is applicable to the commercial part of it and which are applicable to the individual independent living.” Barton suggested the density calculation be broken out for further review. In addition, Town engineer Andrew Learn said there is a provision in the code stating that a house should not be more than 300 feet from a road, saying this needs to be clarified on whether it means a town or a private roadway. Brooks said she interpreted that to be an access road. Learn also pointed out that the proposed roadway that snakes through the project may be considered a cul-de-sac and regarded as too long according to the town code.

The project is proposing two access points, one via Meyer Drive to the residential cottages and a second to the commercial Assisted Living facility off of Route 9W.

The Assisted Living part of the project will also provide Memory Care services. This building will have four stories on the Route 9W side and two stories on the western side, facing the steep hill behind it. The project representatives said unique architectural touches and colors have been incorporated in the design to avoid it looking like a box structure, “but instead like a home, a real big home. It is something that complements what it is used for.”

There are several styles earmarked for the single story residential cottages, each at less than 1,000 sq/ft, with pitched roofs and of modular construction. There will be single and duplex cottages (side by side) and have a mix of materials - shakes, horizontal siding and different masonry veneers where appropriate, giving the entire overall project a village feel.

The project is also proposing a two-story 5,800 sq/ft clubhouse with a long porch on one side for the use of residents.

The residential component is proposed for seniors 62 and up. Barton questioned how this stipulation could be “locked in” on a private site, something that is highlighted in the town’s zoning code.

Attorney for the project, James Horan said this issue is addressed through the Fair Housing Act.

“As a general rule you cannot discriminate having families occupy any property. The only time you can do that is if you have deed restrictions. If you have 55 and older, it permits children on the site [and] if you go 62 and over, under the Fair Housing Act, you can restrict children from being on the site totally. The [town] code, I believe, calls for 62 and over so that’s what we contemplated.”

Horan said a continuing care facility, “has regulations on some of the marketing aspects; ultimately an offering to go into the Assisted Living from the independent care would be subject to review by the New York State Department of Public Health.”

Horan said these kinds of facilities are needed, as currently there are only two in the Hudson Valley.

“We believe this provides a benefit to the community as a whole because as people transition into this facility it will free up housing stock for young families and may well preserve housing in the community because people would not have to go to Florida for this product, they’ll have it locally,” he said.

Horan promised the Planning Board that these units would be affordable to the Lloyd community.

“We’re looking at about $100,000 price point, but one of the things that is going to probably be a price factor is this contractual relationship for assisted care because in all of these situations you have a two-part process – the day to day living as if it was an apartment but then you’re paying an additional contractual expense for the ability to move into a skilled nursing/assisted living facility, which has a lot of benefit to it for a whole host of reasons...but is a very complicated regime.”

Other offerings were also discussed - meal services, a visiting nursing option and a call service, all factors that could impact the financial picture of residents.

“What we’d like to do is to have the most flexibility to provide the most services to the independent facility that we can. That’s our goal, to make that available with some provisions,” he said.