On November 9, the City Planning Commission gave Michigan Christian Home (MCH) the approval to demolish the former Metropolitan Hospital to make way for the proposed Beacon Hill at Eastgate retirement and assisted living homes. The next step is to receive approval from the City Commission to rezone the area to a Planned Unit Development District.
Housing options range from independent living to assisted living to full-time nursing care, all on the same site. Anchoring the 140 independent living units and 50 assisted living units will be a community center with two dining venues, a kitchen, a wellness center, chapel, and a library. The design includes covered parking for 150 vehicles and outdoor parking for 66 vehicles.
“Michigan Christian Home is staying where it is now,” said Jeffrey Huegli, president of MCH. “We’re continuing to see an increase in assisted living needs throughout our independent living areas, so we’re going to be delivering new systems for personal assistance and medical care.”
“Last week we did an inventory of the site,” Pete Lazdins of Design + told the Planning Commission. “There is a tremendous amount of vegetation on the site that can be saved. We are going to catalogue it and set up an on-site nursery to hold the plants during construction. We’ll then incorporate the plants into the landscaping later.”
The plan also calls for preserving the trees on the property.
Beacon Hill residents will enter into a non-equity based contract agreement that includes living spaces, all the amenities, and an ongoing healthcare component.
“A resident would make an investment in a lifestyle, they’re not investing in the bricks and mortar,” said Brian Mack, marketing director of Beacon Hill at Eastgate. “In a continuing care retirement community, the residents have the assurance of knowing that if they need additional service, we have the ability to meet that need. In many cases, it has nothing to do with geography in terms of where that individual is living.”
MCH expects to invest about $75 million in the project. They are pursuing steps to have the existing tax-free Renaissance Zone reassigned to the new development. If successful, the residents will be able to live virtually tax-free until 2017.
Demolition will take place over the next months after the hospital has relocated to its new facility. Construction will break ground in spring 2008.
Source: Jeffrey Huegli, Michigan Christian Home; Brian Mack, Beacon Hill and Eastgate; Pete Lazdins, Design +
Renderings Courtesy of Design Plus
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