Planning commission approves 81‑unit Evans Senior Living assisted‑living project with gate condition

The Ceres Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the Evans Senior Living Project with an added condition requiring a gate on Stone Haven Way.

Staff described the proposal as a four‑story, 81‑unit senior assisted‑living facility on a 2.1‑acre parcel behind Evansshire Gardens, using 1748 Evans Road for addressing. Because the site’s high‑density residential general plan designation anticipates multifamily use, staff recommended rezoning the rear 2.1‑acre portion from AP (Administrative Professional) to R5 (high‑density multifamily) to make the project conforming.

Staff said the project relies on California’s state density bonus law for 100% senior housing. Without a density bonus the site would allow about 63 units; the applicant proposes 81 units (roughly 38.5 dwelling units per acre versus the HDR range of 20–30 du/acre). Under the law, the project may also request concessions or waivers; staff explained the waiver being used to reconcile a local code phrasing that ties four stories to a 40‑foot limit. The applicant is proposing four stories and a 50‑foot height (an extra 10 feet), which staff said is commonly needed to provide reasonable ceiling height and screen rooftop equipment.

Residents who spoke during public comment expressed concerns about scale, neighborhood intrusion, traffic and noise from the adjacent Evansshire Gardens event center. One neighbor said the building would be a "monster" next to two‑story homes and worried about home values and increased traffic; another described recurring late‑night noise from the event center. John Warren asked whether the development would be assisted living with staff and some care services or independent senior apartments; staff and the architect clarified the facility will operate as assisted living (not memory care) with on‑site staff but not full medical services.

Architect Peter Sanholt (FCGA Architecture) and owner‑representative Dick Largon described the project’s design and operations. Largon said the owner is Evans Senior Living LLC (an LLC of the Diocese of the Assyrian Apostolic Church of the East) and that Northstar Senior Living would manage the facility. The applicant said many residents do not drive and that operator data from comparable projects guided parking and trip assumptions.

Staff recommended the commission find the project exempt from CEQA under Section 15332 (infill development) because the proposal is consistent with the general plan, on in‑fill land with available utilities, and not located on habitat for protected species. Commissioners discussed access and emergency response; staff noted the site has an existing service/fire access from Evans Road, but Stone Haven Way is the preferred public entrance and the parcel has legal right to use it.

Because neighbors asked for a buffer between the residential street and the facility entrance, a commissioner moved to approve the staff recommendation with a condition requiring a gate at the Stone Haven Way entrance; the motion passed 4‑0. The commission’s approval is a recommendation to city council for rezoning and final approvals.

The record: staff presentation and slides described the 2.1‑acre site, R5 rezoning need, use as a 100% senior assisted‑living project (age 55+), the density calculations, and the requested waiver to address the 40‑foot code wording; the commission added a gate condition for neighborhood separation. The item will proceed to Ceres City Council for final action.