Planning commission recommends approval for 173-unit senior living campus at Wing Haven

The Planning & Zoning Commission voted March 5 to recommend that the City Council rezone land on Wing Haven Boulevard from the High‑Tech Corridor District to R‑4 and to approve a conditional‑use permit and site plan for a continuing care retirement community proposed by O'Reilly Development.

The proposal calls for about 80,000 square feet of senior housing, including 104 independent‑living units, 49 assisted‑living units and 20 memory‑care units, plus on‑site amenities and courtyards. Eric Wallisch of O'Reilly Development said the project requires a median cut to provide safe ingress and egress and that the developer has structured the building to step with the site's steep topography. "We're asking to rezone to R‑4 with the senior community overlay, approval of our CUP, and site plan approval," Wallisch said during the unified public hearing.

Architect Scott Allman and engineer Matthew Curitie described design work to address the site's slope and the presence of an abandoned pipeline easement. Staff listed key conditions for site‑plan approval, including documentation from the pipeline company showing whether the abandoned pipeline can remain in place and, if necessary, steps to vacate the easement and provide appropriate line‑of‑sight and profile drawings for the proposed driveways and raised median.

Arrow Senior Living's CEO Stephanie Harris said the company has local operations and pointed to state Certificate of Need (CON) approval for licensed beds as evidence of demand. "We see the demand of ... units to add just to serve this unique population so they can stay in their hometown," Harris said. Commissioners and applicants also discussed construction impacts: the engineering team said rock will be chipped rather than blasted and that construction hours will follow the city's ordinance.

Several residents and the city public advocate urged caution. Arnie C. Dienoff said he is not opposed to senior housing but warned the city may be becoming "top heavy" with residential uses and asked the applicant to remove environmental risk from the pipeline corridor. Developers and attendees responded that the property has been difficult to market for high‑tech uses because of topography and other constraints.

The commission moved through three separate motions: to recommend rezoning to R‑4 with the senior overlay, to recommend approval of the conditional use permit, and to approve the site plan subject to staff conditions. All three motions passed during the meeting, sending the items on to the City Council for final action. The applicants were told they will return for additional review before council and that pipeline documentation and final construction drawings must be provided before site‑plan clearance.