23 March 2009 Dearborn County Plan Commission Meeting Notes

23 March 2009 Dearborn County Plan Commission Meeting Notes

Present: Hall, Chairman, Kraus, Jr., Beiersdorfer, Hornbach, Lehman, Thompson.
ABSENT: Hoog, Nelson, and Lansing

Also present: McGill, Attorney and McCormack, Plan Director

Zone map change was requested from Ag to B-1 Restrictive Business to construct medical offices and a Senior Care Facility in Lawrenceburg Township at the corner of Wilson Creek and SR48 on 71.47 acres. Owner is Heakth Services Corp of Southeastern Indiana. The Senior Facilities project is going to Trilogy- a firm that specializes in three levels of care- Independent, assisted, and skilled. They will also have an Alzheimers section.

Thompson asked if anyone wanted him to recuse himself as he’d previously and in past years had talks with hospital and Mike Rozow regarding increased services up there. No one asked him to step down.

Lawrenceburg City limits have a Medical Services zone adjacent to this and Lawrenceburg intends to annex this after the 2010 census. This request doesn’t match the future land use map that was just approved, but has all infrastructure in place to accommodate the request. They do not intend to develop the larger sections of ground on the perimeter as the slopes exceed 20% in most cases. This could eventually be used as part of the parks recreational trails per Pete Resnick, Hospital CEO.

There will be two access points- one off Wilson Creek across from the parking garage and one along SR 48 across from Clinic Drive. There will be 3 buildings demolished in this plan- one on SR 48 by Clinic ( Bischoff house) , the buff brick building, and the old white frame home along Wilson Creek (Smith home).

The plan calls for 60 independent living units in 30 buildings (patio style), 140 assisted living units, a medical office building and also one for Alzheimer’s patients. Jeff Talker, PE, of Land Consultants presented for the applicant. Phase 1 is the assisted living and Alzheimer’s section. The geotech draft report had no major red flags. There is a possible senior housing apt style option considered also. An example of Trilogy development is on Pippin Road in Cincinnati- called Triple Creek.

PC members asked questions: Mark Lehman- can they consider having the buildings to be razed used as fire dept practice? (Perhaps except for asbestos in one) Street will be private? (yes) Patio homes on slab? (Yes – no basement.) Leased homes? (yes- all are owned by the company)

PUBLIC:

Missy Homan and Dena Grail (sp?) – Adm and Marketing for Woodland Hills Nursing Home- We are a 100 bed facility and like Shady Nook nearby are 70% full. There are beds available and this will hurt our business. Woodland Hills has 80 staff members. The national rate of nursing homes now is 78% full. There is also an assisted living facility by the hospital ( Pine Knoll) Trilogy has affected other facilities in other areas where they have gone. Staffing a facility is a challenge- this will make it harder to compete for employees with them all so close together.
Hornbach- Do you have projections over the next 10 years or more on client base? Resnick did not specifically- but noted that people moved here from Cinti and parents getting older are moving here too.

Joann Vogelsang and husband- from Harriet Drive- our property backs up onto the Smith property and there are issues with the street now. Wilson Creek has hospital employees sitting on the curb- feet dangling in the street on break time [NOTE: ? is hospital a non-smoking campus and this is their smoke area?] There should be a caution light here- with the ambulances etc. and increased traffic.

End public:
Thompson: Be sure the slopes are prohibited from development as > 20%. It’s contiguous with DC Hospital, there is a lack of IND EPENDENT and Ass’t Living in the areas. The competition will be affected by the higher prices at Trilogy compared to existing facilities. Lawrenceburg will gobble this up fast, (annex), DCH is a big employer in the county.

Lehman – questions answered already.

Hornbach- I walked the property- it is level where the patio homes will go- leafed out trees will buffer, nice views. Demographics show increased age group coming.

Beiersdorfer- questions all covered already.

Kraus, Jr.- Will owner put a restrictive covenant on the outer slope areas ( yes- hospital owns that part and may use it for walking trails for L-bg parks)

Thompson motioned and Kraus Jr. 2nd with amendment for restrictions from Lehman to send a FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION to Commissioners for a the zone change to B-1 for medically related, assisted and Independent living areas with covenants to retain buffer zones and no construction on steep areas and to file the restrictions in the recorders office regarding the planned density and uses as presented. Finding of facts included that it is suitable to the area and fits the character of the medical zoning around it, even though it is not in the comp plan future map, it is a desirable use for the area and will increase employment , it meets the needs of the demographics, will conserve property values, and is responsible growth adding future jobs and more medical facilities. All ayes. Passed.

ADMINISTRATIVE:
1. Land Use Future Map approved and links are all on PZ website.
2. The plan will be updated with new roads and TIFs soon.
3. The will meet soon to decide how to go forward with Adv Board soon (for annual review of plan)
4. Plan to put recreational uses on their list for the plan.
5. Bond report- all current.
6. Fiscal Impact model has bugs to be worked out still- no test yet.
7. Assistant Planner- have 120 resumes- 8-9 interviews set so far. Hope to decide in April.
8. Working on grant for L-bg and Aurora on US 50 Econ Dev.
9. McCormack relate dthat on Friday Jeff Hughes presented concerns over the link on the PZ website to The DC PUBLIC FORUM ( the blogsite) and his letter that he sent to property owners. McCormack explained to Hughes that he linked it as he sends press releases there as well as to the radio and newspaper. McCormack presented the site pages to the Plan Commission and asked them to review what they’d like him to do. One suggestion was to separate the public links from the private ones so that it showed the blog, chamber, etc as private organizations. Chris Mueller explained how the Blog ( PUBLIC FORUM) site works and noted that the Hughes letter was posted there with her comments in red attached. Board will review.

Meeting adjourned at 8:40 PM

Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township