Planners OK Lincoln memory care facility despite neighborhood opposition

Mar. 8—The Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission on Wednesday approved an assisted-living operation in an existing house despite overwhelming neighborhood opposition.

The commission voted unanimously to approve a special permit to allow The Harbor Senior Care to house 12 seniors with Alzheimer's disease or dementia in a home on a more than 1 acre lot at 3737 Calvert St., with a potential expansion to allow up to 16 people.

The Harbor, which is based in Omaha, opened a similar facility last August near 84th Street and Pioneers Boulevard, and CEO Chris Gille said it quickly reached capacity, leading the company to seek another Lincoln location.

The house on Calvert Street has more than 4,800 square feet of finished space and a large backyard that would be fenced off and allow residents to have a secure outdoor space.

Katie Hartman, the administrator of the home, said providing the care in a residential setting is an "amazing concept" that is life-changing for families of those with memory issues.

Hartman said most of the residents are older than 85 and most will live out the rest of their lives at the facility.

"It truly is just a home," she said. "That's the concept of this."

But neighbors, more than 80 of whom signed a petition opposing the facility, disagreed.

Many said they weren't opposed to the concept but didn't believe a facility with up to 16 residents and three round-the-clock employees belongs in a neighborhood that overwhelmingly contains single-family homes.

"This is a business that would be stuck right in the middle of a neighborhood," said Teresa Schmidt, who lives about two blocks from the home.

Other neighbors who testified expressed concerns about traffic and the potential for reduced property values.

Members of the Planning Commission said they were sympathetic to neighbors' concerns but that the proposal meets the standards for what the city zoning code defines as a residential health care facility.

Commission Chairwoman Tracy Edgerton said that while the operation technically is a business, it also will be a residence.

"This is where their home will be," she said.

The vote is considered final action, but it can be appealed to the City Council within 14 days, a prospect that appears likely.

In other business Wednesday, the Planning Commission recommended approval of a plan to build 12 apartment units and three rowhouse-style town homes at 27th and Starr streets.

The project would cost close to $2.8 million, including about $450,000 in tax-increment funding, which would allow the developer to pay for some upfront costs using projected future property tax dollars generated by the development.

Because of the use of TIF, the project would have some affordable housing, likely two or three units.

The Clinton Neighborhood Association formally opposed the project, with President Ian Edgington saying that it didn't fit the character of the neighborhood and would exacerbate existing problems with parking and an overabundance of college students living in the area.

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.

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