Construction of a senior living complex on a 3.8-acre parcel in the 1000 block of North Kentucky Street may start this fall. THE 26 SUITES for seniors would have two floor plans, both suitable for one or two people. Rent for the units average about $3,000 a month.
“We plan to have it open by about this time next year,” said Jack West, founder and CEO of Neighborhood Senior Living, Inc., Dallas. Iola’s Planning Commission will consider the project July 17. The planners’ recommendation then will go to city council members.
At a by-invitation meeting for neighbors Tuesday evening, several expressed reservations about the project, which would necessitate a change in zoning for the area from R-1 (single family) to R-3 (multi-family).
Iola Administrator Carl Slaugh said about 30 people attended the session, with most expressing opposition or reservations about having a multi-family dwelling nearby. Among concerns were traffic and lights that would be associated with buidlings and parking areas.
“They questioned the impact on the neighborhood, having been used to it having been an empty field for years,” Slaugh said of the prospective site.
West’s intention is to develop 26 residential suites for senior living, as well as eight suites in a memory care unit for people with dementia-type concerns. Project cost was put at $5 million.
West said the complex was designed with neighboring residential areas in mind. Unlike most apartment buildings, it would be single story and its tenants are of a quiet nature. The complexes also generate little additional traffic to a neighborhood, West said.
Initial reports were of two memory care units and a larger residential building.
“We have additional land if we want to expand,” West said. “We didn’t want to over-design at the start.”
West predicted as many as 25 full-time employee positions would be created with the project’s opening.
City officials have been in the loop as West’s plans have unfolded to add Iola to his stable of 30 senior living complexes. The first, Georgetown Village, opened in Wichita in 1982. The majority of neighborhood projects are in smaller towns, including Marysville, Clay Center, Seneca, Belleville, Basehor, Lyons, Larned and Hoisington.
“We have gone to smaller communities where the need is greatest and that developers have overlooked,” West said.
While he would be the majority owner of the Iola project, West said he would seek local investors.
“I like to include local people as much as possible,” he said.
“A resident has to write just two checks a month, one for rent and one for telephone,” he said.
Each of the assisted living suites would be equipped with a fully accessible bathroom, large sitting and sleeping areas and a hospitality kitchen. The 19,000-square-foot building also would have a large dining area, indoor and outdoor social areas, a hospitality suite, library, commercial kitchen facilities and concrete storm shelter.
Personal and health care services would be offered 24 hours, seven days a week. Staff would include a director, full-time nurse, dietary consultant, food service and activities coordinators and certified medication aides.
Three home-cooked meals would be provided each day, as well as housekeeping and personal laundry services, personal attention to dressing, bathing and grooming and management of personal medications.
West said staff would cater to residents according to what they wanted and needed.
“Moving from a family residence into community living can be a difficult decision,” West said. “With this concept Iola-area seniors will be able to stay in their own community and close to their family and friends, making the transition much easier.”
The memory care residence would contain about 4,000 square feet and have eight suites. Plans call for the building to have a large living room, spacious den with dining area nearby, full kitchen and laundry, and a safe room.
Memory care residences are designed for resident privacy, West said, including space for activities that help enhance quality of life for those suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Certified and professional staff are available 24 hours a day.
Senior complex on horizon
