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Plan commission approves Azora memory‑care and assisted‑living SIP at Brinick farm site
Summary
The commission approved a specific implementation plan for an 88‑unit Azora memory‑care and assisted‑living community proposed for the Brinick family farm site in Heritage Hills, subject to resolution of minor engineering and aesthetic comments and standard staff conditions.
The Waunakee Plan Commission voted to approve a specific implementation plan for an Azora memory‑care and assisted‑living community on the former Brinick farm property, subject to staff‑level resolution of remaining planning and engineering comments.
The proposal calls for 88 assisted‑living and memory‑care units in a building designed to reference the site’s farm architecture. Developers said the community would be licensed as a CBRF (community‑based residential facility) and would increase the local licensed supply in the market area; ThreeLeaf Partners cited a market study estimating local demand at roughly 2,300 individuals and noted available licensed beds in the area total around 621.
Why it matters: Developers and commissioners said the project would expand local memory‑care capacity and meet an identified housing need for older residents in Waunakee and nearby communities.
Design, parking and site details Staff noted the SIP includes a landscaped site with parking (applicants proposed 91 stalls, including surface and underground spaces), pedestrian connections, and an architectural palette aimed at echoing the farm buildings that formerly occupied the site. The applicant presented feasibility work showing prototypes and grading needs and said demolition of the farm structures is necessary to fit the household‑model building that Azora operates.
The commission discussed an aesthetic suggestion from staff (a two‑tone drop shadow on a CMU wall) that the applicant preferred to address through landscaping and material adjustments; the applicant reduced the amount of CMU on the building by about 30% from the initial submission and said mature landscaping will screen taller wall areas.
Operations and community outreach Azora Living described its household model (20–24 residents per household) and noted it would license both assisted living and memory care as CBRF to provide higher levels of care. The operator said it hires approximately 100 staff for the site and expects about 30 team members on a peak shift; it emphasized staff training and community programming such as dementia‑education events and partnerships with the Alzheimer’s Association.
Commission action and next steps After questions and limited discussion on engineering details, aesthetics and signage, the commission approved the SIP with typical conditions that outstanding engineering and planning comments be resolved with staff prior to final sign‑off. The project will proceed to permits when the applicant satisfies the listed conditions, including final engineering items and staff review of monument signage.
