A senior-care facility across the street from Mindbody? SLO Planning Commission is skeptical
A proposal to build a retail shopping center and assisted-living facility at the corner of Tank Farm Road and Broad Street in San Luis Obispo was met with deep concerns by planning commissioners Wednesday who contemplated how well the two types of developments would work together as neighbors.
The proposal, submitted by Nick Tompkins of NKT Development in partnership with La Jolla-based Westmont Development LP, calls for for a 49,000-square-foot shopping center with a grocery store, restaurants and retail spaces in six separate buildings, and a 133,655-square-foot senior-care facility with 111 assisted-living suites and 28 memory-care studio units.
"This site in the long term was projected to be a hub of activity — economic, lots of young people walking and biking, and sort of an energized node," said Commissioner Hemalata Dandekar. "I was taken aback when the senior facility was what was envisioned here, because we really do need those kinds of facilities in San Luis Obispo… but outside the commercial bustle."
The City Council ultimately would consider the project's approval during the course of the planning process. The commission provided broad feedback before city staff begins reviewing the application in depth.
The city's Land Use Element calls for "a mix of uses as described under the community commercial and office designations" at the 10-acre location.
"I’m having a hard time seeing how this meets the intent of a mixed-use project," Commissioner Mike Wulkan said. "To me, they really look like two separate projects. I don’t see much integration between the two."
Multiple commissioners noted the site's proximity to the fitness and wellness company Mindbody, where several hundred employees work, and the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport.
They envisioned the currently vacant corner property as a corridor for commercial activity and workforce housing, rather than a place for assisted living, where residents with limited mobility wouldn't be as inclined to shop or patronize nearby restaurants.
Dandekar said she has the perspective of caring for an aging mother in a senior-care facility, as well as a daughter who previously worked at Mindbody, and she spent roughly a year and a half helping to form the Land Use Element.
"I think this site is better for smaller units and more density," Dandekar said "What a boon that would be (for Mindbody employees) to cross the street and go to their jobs."
But Commissioner Chuck Stevenson said that he believes senior care and assisted-living units are acceptable to him, as long as housing for independent residents is planned, as well, to take advantage of the shared proximity to the retail center.
That way, he said, seniors who are mobile could shop and eat nearby and transition more smoothly into assisted care on site.
"I believe the community needs senior housing and assisted living," Stevenson said. "I can’t overstate the need."
Another challenge for the project is that policy related to airport planning prohibits housing in boundaries that include the proposed site, and an amendment to the Airport Area Specific Plan would be needed to allow residential units there.
Carol Florence, a representative for the developer, said airport policy is being updated and those regulations could change. Florence said at the meeting that the project is not directly below the flight paths of planes entering or leaving the airport.
Florence said on Thursday that the development team would huddle and discuss the next steps of the project, adding that Wednesday's meeting was limited in scope.
"Our hands were tied in a way because we weren't able to talk about some of the specifics," Florence said. "This was not a comprehensive presentation. It was narrowly focused."
Florence said Westmont has a planned independent living component, but that information wasn't presented. No Westmont representative appeared at Wednesday's meeting because it was a general policy meeting without discussion on specifics, Florence said.
Commission Chair John Fowler said he believes housing for workers and seniors could both be achieved, noting that senior-care facilities tend to have little traffic demand because residents tend not to drive themselves.
This story was originally published June 15, 2018 at 11:18 AM with the headline "A senior-care facility across the street from Mindbody? SLO Planning Commission is skeptical."