Volume 18, No. 3, Summer 2010
Described by foundation sponsors as “offering a menu of services that will enable residents to age in place,” plans for a major development in Hyannis to accommodate members of the Cape’s growing elderly population is heading down the home stretch through the Cape’s multi-layered regulatory process.
The first will be the Cape Cod Commission, which held the first of what may be at least one more sub-committee public hearing July 8, with Barnstable Town hearings to follow. The latter at least could be relatively easy going since Town Manager John Klimm spoke in favor of the project at the County Courthouse hearing.
The three-tiered Village at Barnstable is being developed by the Lyndon Paul Lorusso Foundation. The main campus will be constructed on several parcels adjoining Communications Way in Independence Park. All projects of this type must include an “affordable housing” component and this will be satisfied by redeveloping the former Whitehall Manor nursing home on Falmouth Road into 42 apartments. It will be known as Lyndon Court Residential Development and was described as being “entirely affordable.
As described in the hearing notice, the main Independence Park “multi-family development” will consist of a continuing care retirement community with 340 independent/assisted living units and a 60-bed skilled nursing facility in six inter-connected buildings. On-site amenities will include dining, library and activity rooms, a wood shop, spa/health club/pool facility, beauty salon, convenience store and bank.
The Commission already has designated project a “suitable use” for the Independence Park location, the Barnstable Planning Board is supportive and basic groundbreaking has begun. The developers say that work will proceed in three phases over three years depending on financing and the local economy. The projected construction cost is $3.5 million for materials and $6.3 million for labor, presumably local workers. The land itself is already owned by the Foundation, which expects the completed project will provide 200 permanent new jobs “paying Boston wages.”
They anticipate that three-quarters of the new residents will be Cape Codders.
Foundation representatives say that once the project is completed they will choose a company experienced in this field to manage it.
The project has been described as “basically non-profit,” because any profits will accrue to the Foundation and thus be available to add to its list of public service contributions.
“This concept is very popular across the country and very much needed on the Cape where many similar facilities have long waiting lists,” said Mark Thompson, president of the LoRusso Foundation. “Our project will be larger and more modern and should help the situation. We already have received great support from the 55-and-over community.”
However, Ron Jansson, the lead attorney, and other project witness did add the caveat that fluctuating economic conditions would play a large role in many project details.
The project actually has been on the drawing boards for four years, the last two involving interaction with town and county regulators.