Q: What is the status on the assisted living facility planning to be built in Brookhaven?

A: The assisted living facility, proposed by Advanced Healthcare Management Inc., is awaiting the initial draft of the facility’s design before they can take their next step with the project.

Joe L. Stephens, Vice President of Business Development at Advanced Healthcare Management Inc. said they’ve been looking at other facilities to identify trends when it comes to design space and usage.

“We’ve given out ideas and thoughts to drafters and contractors, but we haven’t received the initial draft,” Stephens said.

Stephens said they are possibly looking to present their site plan to the city in the next three weeks.

“The plans are more about openness and trying not to have long hallways and small rooms typically seen in nursing homes,” Stephens said.

The facility will be built on Silver Cross Drive behind Central Baptist Church in the Meadowbrook neighborhood. Obstacles arose during the initial planning phase because the property is in an R-1 zone, which is the most restrictive and allows only single-family homes to be built in it. Other obstacles included restrictions regarding proximity to railroads and hospitals that made it hard for the facility to be placed in another area of the city.

After talks with the City of Brookhaven’s planning commission, Advanced Healthcare Management decided to pursue S-1 distinction. This distinction does not rezone the area and only affects the one lot in question. The distinction also limits use in this case to an assisted living facility. In the future, the building and lot could only be used for another purpose by receiving approval from the City.

In the Brookhaven Board of Alderman meeting on Aug. 19, 2014, the board granted the S-1 distinction, at the city planning commission’s recommendation, for the assisted living facility to be built by Advanced Healthcare Management Inc.

With a vote of 5-2, the board decided to allow the distinction. Conditions were given that all S-1 requirements are met before the final plat is approved and actual S-1 designation is given.

Stephens said that plans will be presented to the city probably by the end of February.