Personal care home on way to approval near Quidi Vidi Lake

The Kirby Group of Cos., headed by Michael Kirby, is looking to add an 11th personal care home to its roster, near the shores of Quidi Vidi Lake.

At Monday’s council meeting, St. John’s city council gave approval to the project, which now moves onto the provincial government for further deliberation.

The personal care home will be able to house 104 people and stand four storeys tall at 100 Churchill Ave. The facility will provide Level 1 and Level 2 care to its residents.

The building will have a games room, a chapel, a fountain and a patio. The proposal lists 61 parking spaces at the new building. In the application, Kirby notes that many of the seniors who will live in the complex won’t have vehicles, so a full-scale parking lot isn’t required. City staff agreed, and council green-lit the application.

At a committee of the whole meeting held in November, Kirby told councillors that there was a growing need for personal care homes in the province and the new project will help meet that demand.

Previously, a public meeting was held on the application, but no people attended the meeting or submitted responses.

Kirby couldn’t be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Personal care home operators get $2,375 for every resident in a personal care home in a subsidy from the government for the care they provide to seniors.

City council also approved a home at 30-36 Quidi Vidi Rd. at Monday’s council meeting.