SLO Council OKs 139-unit assisted living facility, with plans for cancer care center
A two-story, 133,655-square-foot assisted living facility designed to serve seniors at Tank Farm Road and Broad Street in San Luis Obispo was unanimously approved Tuesday by the San Luis Obispo City Council.
The council voted 4-0 in favor of the new Westmost Living facility on 10 acres at 3985 Broad St., with Councilmember Andy Pease recusing herself due to the proximity of her husband’s nearby office.
The 139-unit project is located on a corner site across Broad Street from the Marigold Center, which includes Vons grocery store, and across Tank Farm Road from the Mindbody complex, according to a city staff report.
“We believe this project will be complementary because of the uses surrounding it,” said Carol Florence, the development team’s project planner. “Many of the residents are single and want social interaction and daily activities.”
Florence said the project could break ground as soon as spring 2021.
Project to feature assisted living, medical office
The new Westmont Living facility is designed to be a retirement community, ages 60 and up, that provides a spectrum of living options, with 28 units dedicated for memory care. The company has facilities in Nipomo and Paso Robles, and throughout the state.
Many of the seniors who move into the facility would live independently but also be able to transition into the aging process in place, with health and care services available.
Seniors living independently would still have access to amenities such as cooking and laundry service, transportation, fitness and social activities.
The applicant is planning a future commercial development proposal on the eastern portion of the project site that includes a 45,000-square-foot medical office in place of a previously planned grocery store, which will be addressed by the City Council at a future meeting after further planning.
The proposed medical office would be an independent detached building located near the SESLOC property to the north.
“The medical office would likely house the Dignity Health Comprehensive Cancer Center, an outpatient cancer treatment and education center,” a city staff report stated. “The proposed retail/restaurant development may consist of three buildings for retail or restaurant use totaling 15,000 square feet in three independent detached buildings (5,000 square feet each).”
Florence said that project application could be submitted to the city in October, commencing the formal planning process.
Developers would help pay for road widening, roundabout
The developers, NKT Development LLC and Westmont Development LP, are responsible for a fair share contribution of the cost of widening Tank Farm Road from two to four lanes between Santa Fe Road and Old Windmill Lane.
The applicant also “shall install a single-lane roundabout at the internal site intersection of the Mindbody Road extension adjacent to SESLOC on the north property line to encourage smooth traffic flow between the sites,” the staff report notes.
The project is designed with all-electric building use, according to city and state standards.
The developer also will pay all required transportation impact fees, including participation in the citywide Transportation Impact Fee Program and the county’s Highway 227 Impact Fee Program, before any building permits are issued.
The developer also is responsible for constructing a bus turnout as well as bike racks, according to the city staff report.
The City Council amended the city’s Airport Area Specific Plan from a business park designation to a community commercial to allow for its consistency with an assisted living center.
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 1:19 PM.
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