Brookfield to consider senior living facility, Y upgrades
BROOKFIELD — The Zoning Commission is expected to hear proposals Thursday evening on a senior living facility and upgrades to the Greenknoll YMCA.
A developer aims to build a threestory facility on Federal Road with 115 units for assisted living and memory care patients.
Darcy Koenig, a land use consultant for the developer, said the facility would provide much needed housing for seniors.
“That’s a pretty good benefit,” she said, adding the community would be great for older Brookfield residents who could not stay in their homes but do not want to leave town.
The building would include 89 assisted living units and 26 memory care units. The latter is for patients with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Columbia Pacific Advisors, a Washington state-based company, has applied to build the facility. The company has built or owned more than 300 senior living communities across the country.
The building would be at 291 Federal Road, a half-mile down the road from The Village at Brookfield Common, an assisted living community through Benchmark Senior Living.
Traffic on Federal Road is expected to increase on weekdays by 2.3 percent and between 2.3 to 2.5 percent during peak hours on weekdays due to the development, according to an analysis by the company.
“Therefore, we anticipate that the project will have a negligible impact on the existing area roadway network,” the company wrote.
The company met with residents last month to explain the project. Koenig said residents’ main concern was with the buffer between the building and driveways, as well as nearby townhomes.
“We agreed to increase that as necessary to provide the adequate screening,” she said.
Meanwhile, the YMCA hopes to improve its outdoor facilities.
On its application to the Zoning Commission, the YMCA proposed enhancements to its camp, such as adding a zip line or a spray park.
But Patty Kane, the regional marketing and communication director for the YMCA, said the project is still in the early planning stages, so she is not certain the zip line or spray park will be part of the plan.
“This process will take a lot of time,” she said. “All of that could change so drastically.”
Kane said members have requested improvements to the outdoor facilities.
“It’s time for us to upgrade,” she said. “We’re looking into: What could that look like?”
The Zoning Commission could vote Thursday on the overhaul to the zoning regulations. Over the past two years, town officials have worked to simplify the town’s complicated regulations.
The meeting is set for 7 p.m. Thursday in Room 133 of Town Hall.