Assisted Living Center Proposed In Umatilla

    'Plan B' for the proposed development of nearly 10 acres in Umatilla is set to come before the Umatilla City Council on August 15. Developers have scrapped a controversial apartment complex at the location and instead are set to come to the city with a plan that envisions a 121-unit assisted living center at the location.
   Fletcher Grove Development, LLC, is proposing a multi-tiered service facility that includes 65 assisted living units, 24 memory care units, and 32 independent living units in two stories of buildings. In all, 156 beds are proposed at the facility. The site would feature three, two-story buildings, with amenities to include a dining room, theater, library, as well as recreational amenities.
   The density of the proposal is similar to a previous plan for the site, which featured 116 apartments. That proposal sparked a community pushback against high-density development at the location. Citizen gatherings on the subject were at times contentious, and a citizen group was formed to fight 'high density' development in Umatilla.
   This time around, however, the lesser impact of a senior living center appears to have quelled fears.
   "The developer held a private meeting with most of the adjacent property owners whom are most affected," said Aaron Mercer, Director of Development and Public Services for the City of Umatilla. "The proposed assisted living facility and their conceptual drawings were well received by the residents."
   Among the updates to the site plan is a change in the access to the property, now proposed to come off CR 450 NE instead of Fletcher Road, as was conceived in the original apartment plan.
   On August 15, the city council is expected to consider requests to change the property's land use from single-family medium density to institutional, as well as reclassifying the land as a public facility district. The meeting will convene at 6 p.m. City council meetings are held at city hall, 1 South Central Avenue.