(Preferred ‘massing’ – size and shape – for project, from draft design packet)
With far fewer major projects in the pipeline these days, the Southwest Design Review Board‘s meetings are few and far between – just three this year. The first meeting for next year has just been scheduled. The board will get an “early design guidance” look at what will be Aegis Living‘s second West Seattle senior-living complex on January 19th. We first told you in July about this new plan for the long-vacant, often-vandalized ex-strip-mall and ex-restaurant properties in the 5200 block of California SW, formerly proposed for townhouses. The project will go to the board with the address 5252 California SW. The project file includes this description given to people living near the site during a September-October outreach period:
A six-story*, 100 sft building, offering 100+ assisted living and memory care apartments.
The ground level will include a variety of amenities and gathering spaces for residents and visitors such as a grand living room, activity room, dining, a movie theater, retail and more.
The second floor will include 45+ parking spaces for visitors and staff.
Floors 3-6 will include residential apartments for assisted living and memory care. The sixth floor will also host a sky lounge for residents to enjoy.
This West Seattle community will be built to meet the rigorous standards of the Living Building Challenge Petal Certification through the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). The Living Building Challenge defines itself as the world’s most ambitious and advanced performance standard for green, resilient, and healthy buildings.
*A sixth level will be granted as part of participation in the Living Building Challenge and meeting the sustainable design criteria set forth.
Aegis says it’s already developed one project to Living Building Challenge standards, in Lake Union. (In West Seattle, the PCC Community Markets [WSB sponsor] rebuild was also an LBC project.) Also, when we last asked Aegis about the plan, we were told that “existing street trees would be preserved.” You can see the draft design packet here – remember that the “early design guidance” phase focuses on the size and shape of the building, so this (and the image atop this story) is not the fully detailed proposal. Find out more at the 5 pm meeting on Thursday, January 19th, which will be online (watch this page for the link).
Aegis builds beautiful facilities, but through research one discovers we must be extremely wealthy to afford this kind of care and environment. There seems to be such an empty gap between places like this and nursing homes or facilities that accept Medicaid.
Amen neighbor. 6 years ago my mom needed to go in a WS nursing home. Blessedly it was only for 1 month before she passed. Her shared room was $8,400 a month. She could have had a private room for $12,000 a month. What did she get? 3 meals a day brought to her room and help getting in and out of her wheelchair. The help got paid minimum wage. Don’t believe people really pay attention to how expensive these places are. And, believe me they are very firm on getting paid or the resident/patient has to find another place.
It would be nice if the property owner was required to tear down the existing structure during design review so it doesn’t continue to be a nuisance until construction starts.
Flo B – Assisted Living facilities are far cheaper than a Nursing Home. I know my mom started at an assisted care and as she declined was forced to move to an adult care facility that was over twice as expensive.
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