Plans for senior living center at Meadowbrook site in Prairie Village are unveiled

A Wichita-based developer of senior living centers is proposing a large new complex as part of the development being planned on the former Meadowbrook Golf and Country Club in Prairie Village.

Legend Senior Living on Monday disclosed to the city council its initial plans for the senior living development at the corner of 91st Street and Nall Avenue. The eight-acre site would feature a single, four-story building containing 120 independent living apartments, 120 assisted living/memory care units and 90 rehabilitation units.

Legend CEO Tim Buchanan said the project would cost $80 million to develop and have an annual payroll of $10 million. He said the project would attract not just older residents in the area but also bring young families to Prairie Village looking for a community where they could locate their elderly parents.

Councilwoman Jori Nelson questioned whether there was adequate demand for another senior living facility. She noted that there are already three facilities with more than 400 units operating with vacancies in Prairie Village and a total of 32 facilities lie within five miles.

“I’m concerned that we’re over bedded,” Nelson said.

Legend operates 30 senior living properties in five states, including nine in Kansas.

Buchanan said his company’s own research shows about 40 percent of the residents in its complexes come from outside their respective market areas, which he said once again reflected people moving to live near their adult children.

He also predicted that demand will rise rapidly as the U.S. population ages and that centers will need to cater to baby boomer retirees and keep up with changes in delivering assisted living and rehabilitation care.

“The reason we are building more facilities than we’re buying is there are amenities and features that residents are wanting that older facilities just don’t have,” he said.

Whether Legend ever serves anyone at the site, however, still hinges on developers for the overall site reaching a development agreement with Prairie Village officials, a deal that is expected to include between $12 million and $16 million in tax incentives and likely won’t be completed for months.

VanTrust Real Estate in February unveiled initial plans for the 136-acre Meadowbrook property bordered by 91st and 95th streets, and Nall and Roe avenues. Besides the senior living center, the developers are proposing two neighborhoods of townhomes, an area of luxury apartments, a couple blocks of single-family homes and a boutique inn. It will also include a 94-acre public park.

The plan tentatively calls for tax increment financing to pay for the parkland and associated upgrades.

Gary Anderson, CEO of Gilmore & Bell PC and the city’s bond counsel, explained that with tax increment financing, or TIF, any additional property taxes generated by the development of the residential and commercial property would go to repay general obligation bonds sold for the park.

If the development faltered and couldn’t keep up with bond payments, city taxpayers would foot the bill, although Anderson said negotiations would include steps to protect the city as much as possible.

Any agreement would require numerous public meetings and give residents an opportunity to weigh in and possibly force the issue to a public vote, Anderson said.

Rich Muller, vice president of VanTrust, said that assuming the development agreement is struck later this year the company hopes to start construction on the senior living center, the luxury apartments and the inn by next spring. He said a timetable for the rest of the residential development would come over the next two or three months.

In other business, the council on Monday swore in Sheila Myers to fill the Ward 4 seat vacated by Laura Wassmer. The council in February appointed Wassmer as mayor after Ron Shaffer joined the Johnson County Commission, and Wassmer was elected to the post earlier this month.

This story was originally published April 21, 2015 at 9:55 PM with the headline "Plans for senior living center at Meadowbrook site in Prairie Village are unveiled."