Evendale council to discuss Erickson impacts

A report on the possible impacts of a 1,200-unit Erickson Retirement Communities complex on the Village of Evendale will be discussed tonight in front of the village council.

Erickson has proposed the 69-acre, $175 million retirement complex for the 165-acre Landmark Church property off of Glendale-Milford Road, which straddles the villages of Evendale and Glendale along I-75.

The 1,200 independent living units are expected to bring 1,800 new residents, 529 of which would live in Evendale - a 17 percent increase over the current population.

Erickson also plans a Renaissance Gardens assisted living facility, which would add 96 living units and 48 skilled nursing beds.

According to the study, which was prepared by the Economics Center for Research and Education at the University of Cincinnati, the average age of a new resident is estimated to be 79.9 years. It concludes that EMS runs could increase by as much as 28.3 percent and that the police department would see a 6.3 percent increase in service calls, possibly requiring the hiring of an additional officer.

However, this could likely be offset by the expected $604,425 per year in additional revenue from income from the campus' 600 employees and estate taxes from deceased residents.

Twenty-nine acres of the property are in Evendale, with the remainder in neighboring Glendale, making joint service agreements necessary to any development.

Construction on the project would begin in September 2009, and buildout would occur in 2015.

The expected timeline is as follows:

* Neighborhood 1: Four four-story buildings, 38,400-square-foot footprints, with 540 total units, and a 101,000-square-foot community building. Breaks ground in September 2009, first units open in September 2010. Buildout in two to three years.

* Neighborhood 2: Five to six four-story buildings, 38,400-square-foot footprints, 627 total units, and a 101,000-square-foot community building. Breaks ground in 2011 or 2012, first units open by the end of 2012. Buildout in three to four years.

* Renaissance Gardens: Breaks ground in 2013, first units open in September 2014. Buildout in three years.

The campus would be gated with on-site service and entertainment facilities and would contain 2,200 surface parking spaces.

No decisions will be made tonight, but the discussion will lead to the scheduling of future meetings on the proposal.

If the retirement community is not ultimately built, Glendale may choose to build a scaled-down community, Evendale could build an office development, or the land could remain undeveloped - though no specific proposals are currently on the table.

Erickson currently has the property under contract.

Erickson Retirement Communities currently operates 20 facilities in the United States, has approximately 11,000 employees and has annual operating revenues around $1 billion.

Open to the public. 7 PM. Village of Evendale Administration Building, 10500 Reading Road.

Previous reading on BC:
Glendale: Erickson Retirement Community (6/6/07)