By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green City Council has unanimously approved a zoning change to make way for a new senior living facility that would employ about 125 people and provide a home for 115 residents.
Construction is expected to begin in June, with the facility expected to be open in the fall of 2021.
A public hearing on the zoning change was held prior to the City Council meeting Monday evening. No public comments were submitted, but Mayor Mike Aspacher asked the company constructing the site to use local labor if possible.
Aspacher noted the hit taken by the construction industry in Northwest Ohio due to the coronavirus pandemic. And he referenced the local investment being made by the city in the project by providing tax abatements for the development.
A representative of the developer said local labor would “absolutely” be considered. Four general contractors have bid on the project, with two being from Northwest Ohio.
The new facility will be designed to allow seniors to “age in place,” by offering a range of options from independent living and assisted living, to skilled nursing and memory care.
The rezoned 18.3 acres sit along South Dunbridge Road, just north of the Wood County office building at 639 S. Dunbridge Road. The property went from A-1 agricultural to I-1 institutional.
The property would be developed by Avenue Development, of Indianapolis, for Trilogy Health Services, of Kentucky. Trilogy has been in business 22 years and has 117 facilities in the Midwest, including one in North Baltimore, according to Joy Skidmore, of Avenue Development.
Plans call for the Bowling Green facility to employ 90 full-time and 35 part-time workers. Some leadership positions may be brought in from other locations, but the majority of the employees would be hired locally, according to Matt Kwapis, also from Avenue Development.
Trilogy operates a not-for-profit foundation that offers benefits to employees, residents and the communities where it has facilities, Skidmore said.
For employees those benefits could include tuition assistance for workers and their dependents, scholarships, emergency assistance in the case of a disaster such as a house fire, help for first-time homebuyers, and health programs like smoking cessation.
For the residents, Trilogy helps pay for Honor Flight trips for veterans to Washington, D.C., and assists with “bucket list” items such as skydiving, Skidmore said.
For the community, Trilogy partners with local high schools for apprenticeships and job shadowing, partners with universities on nursing, and offers culinary certification.
The “health campus” will feature a single-story and partial two-story facility, with approximately 85,000 square feet. The first phase of development will include areas for short-term and long-term skilled nursing residents, for assisted living residents, and for memory care residents.
The second phase will be for independent living residents in “cottage-style” homes.
The campus is also designed to have a variety of outdoor spaces, including courtyards and covered porches.
Potential traffic concerns were addressed in a letter to the planning commission. The height of the traffic generated by the site will occur during staff shift changes, which will overlap one to two hours. None of the skilled nursing or assisted living residents will have vehicles on the site.
Most visitors are likely to come to the facility during evening hours around dinner time. Food delivery and trash pickup will occur during regular business hours, typically between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
