Owner of 835 Heisberg Road asks commission to consider senior housing and long‑term care uses outside transit overlay

Jeff Nick, representing the property at 835 Heisberg Road, told the commission the parcel is roughly 112 acres and asked the commission to consider changes so senior housing, long‑term care and larger medical offices could locate there. "So my hope and suggestion is if you could remove the transit overlay district," Nick said, proposing conditional uses as a compromise that would let the city retain review authority while permitting some of the uses his market research shows are scarce.

Staff and commissioners clarified the current regulatory framework: within the transit overlay district small medical uses (under 5,000 sq ft) and medium uses (5,000–10,000 sq ft) are allowed, while "large" medical offices are treated differently and generally not allowed outside the overlay. Commissioners expressed interest in exploring senior housing or long‑term care allowances but emphasized that the city cannot regulate for a named operator and that any change would apply citywide and would raise enforcement and transit‑service questions. The commission asked staff to consider placing the topic on the FY27 work plan for technical and policy review.

Why it matters: The parcel owner argues the market lacks suitable large sites for senior housing and medical uses; commissioners said the request is worth study but warned regulatory changes could have broader citywide implications and that transportation access and enforcement mechanisms would need careful design.