A subsidized assisted living project which would largely serve individuals on Medicaid has moved one step closer to fruition.
At its November meeting, members of Community Board 18 voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Standards & Appeals (BSA) grant the variance application submitted to it by Atria Builders, the project’s developers.
Atria is asking that the 176- unit structure it is planning to build at 636 Louisiana Avenue exceed the permitted floor area and unit density. In addition, Atria is asking to provide fewer parking spaces than would otherwise be required for the building, which is proposed in an R-5 zoning district.
The floor area variance is required because the state Department of Health, which has approved the project, requires certain amenities to be included in such facilities that “serve an elderly population that has certain special care needs but doesn’t need to be in a nursing home,” explained attorney Jordan Most.
“There needs to be a place for people to eat, a place for food preparation, recreation space and a whole lot of other services in order to satisfy the state Department of Health,” he told the group gathered in the community room at Kings Plaza, Flatbush Avenue and Avenue V.
Nonetheless, the city’s zoning resolution doesn’t recognize assisted living “as having special needs,” Most said, adding that, in general, such amenities are included “below grade” in space that is generally not included in floor area calculations. Because of the proximity of Spring Creek, however, the site is not suitable for below grade construction, meaning that the communal and service areas would be constructed in areas that would count in the floor area, Most said.
As for the unit density, Most said that the majority of apartments in the four-story building would be studios, meaning there would be more units than in a standard residential building of the same size. However, he added, fewer parking spaces are needed, because the residents generally do not own cars.
The request to reduce the parking requirement raised some concern. “We have Sunrise Assisted Living in Mill Island,” noted Dorothy Turano, the board’s district manager. “There’s always a problem with parking, with the visitors.”
That would not be an issue at the Louisiana Avenue facility, said Most, assuring Turano that there would be 24-hour security to make sure that the 54 spaces aren’t taken by people who don’t have a connection to the facility. In another facility run by the company, he added, the number of parking spaces provided is “more than enough to accommodate visitors and employees.”
Another issue is whether local residents will be able to enjoy the amenities that the facility would offer. “Most of the time,” remarked Maria Garrett, “residents from our community are not allowed to have their parents or family members to frequent them.”
On the contrary, rejoined David Marx, one of Atria’s principals, “We are coming to build it for your community. Based on our track record and community need, the state granted the license to us.”
Residents wouldn’ t have to live in the community to be accepted, but, “Who’s going to come to the facility?” Marx asked.
The facility would be the only one to be built in Brooklyn under the Request for Proposal issued by the state, said Robert Marx, another of Atria’s principals.
“We are going to build a beautiful building, and the residents will come to us just about free of charge,” he told the board. “All of the residents will have their own apartment. They will have a little kitchenette and their own bathroom.”
A maximum of five percent of the building’s residents can be “private-pay,” Marx said.
