Developers are working with city officials to bring a large retirement community to Altoona.

Scenic Development LLC plans to build a facility that would serve more than 100 senior citizens in the area, realizing a community effort that began 10 years ago to create a retirement center in Altoona.

The facility will offer temporary and long-term facilities with three levels of care: Independent living (38 units), assisted living (34 units) and skilled nursing (38 beds).

This is whats known as a continuing care retirement community, Scenic Development Partner Gib Wood said before Altoona City Council last week. Really it will fill all the senior housing needs that Altoona has right now.

With anonymous approval, City Council held the first of three readings to rezone nearly 40 acres of land directly east of Clay Elementary School, southeast corner of the intersection of First Avenue South and 24th Street Southeast.

Cheryl Laird Humphrey currently owns the property up for rezoning 23 acres from agricultural to multi-family residential use and about 14 acres from low-density residential to commercial land use.

Humphreys attorney Ed Skinner said the land owners anticipate retail and small commercial development on the additional land that Scenic Development does not purchase for the assisted living facility.

We anticipate with the advent of the assisted living community being established, there will be types of business that will relate to that, such as dentistry and health, Skinner said, adding that he began efforts to create a retirement community in the area in 2002.

Officials say the facility will create about 48 jobs in Altoona.

The second, and likely third, rezoning reading for the property will take place at City Councils Sept. 17 meeting. After that, the projects advancement will depend on a certificate of need that the state will issue or deny Scenic Development on Oct. 5.

Read more from the original source:
Retirement community headed for Altoona, pending certificate of need