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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter #11 Dr. Robert Flint L. Robert S. Flint, MD, PhD 13417 Boxelder Court Carmel, IN 46074 December 11, 2019 Board of Zoning Appeals City of Carmel Department of Community Services One Civic Square Carmel, Indiana 46032 RE: Willow Haven Senior Home Docket No's: 19090019 UV, 19090020 V, 19090021 V, & 19090022 V Dear Board Members: I am writing to you to express my intense opposition to the proposed zoning variances listed above, and more importantly, to the establishment of the Willow Haven Senior Home at the location of 13145 West Road. My name is Robert Flint. I am a resident of Glen Oaks subdivision which shares a property boundary with the lot that is the subject of the aforementioned zoning proposals. I am also the President of the HOA of Glen Oaks. In addition, I am a Neurologist, and as such, have had the primary responsibility of caring for hundreds of the type of patients who will be the intended clientele of the proposed establishment. I have a number of concerns about this project from the perspectives of both of these positions. 1.) The developer made no attempt to engage any of the community surrounding their proposed location to notify us and discuss his plans for this property, until we had declared our opposition via submissions to the BZA. When he did make the attempt, it was in the form of a 16 X 24 inch sign at the front of the property that could only be read if you stopped your car so you could see it. This raises the legitimate concern that he has no understanding about how to communicate with members of the community that his development is going to affect. It also suggests that he has no real interest in considering the concerns of the surrounding neighbors, now or potentially ever. 2.) I attended his "informational meeting". It was haphazardly organized with no formal presentation. The developer admitted to having absolutely NO experience in constructing or operating such a facility. He has hired another professional to manage the facility. This person has a Certification in Nursing Home Management and has worked in several Extended Care Facilities in Indiana arid other states. Some of these facilities had Memory Care Units incorporated within their structures. However, this individual has never actually managed a dedicated Memory Care Facility. During our conversation, it seemed that he was composing his management plan as I raised various concerns. Initially, there were only going to be Certified Nursing Assistants and Home Health Aides on premises. Then, he added an RN during day time on week days who would be responsible for developing "Care Plans". Next, he added a couple of Activity Coordinators on premises. I genuinely have concern for their competence to care for these patients based on my experience as a Neurologist. If they are unsure about their operations plan, then there is a good chance that they have underestimated the amount of activity this facility will generate. That would be inconsistent with the activity of the currently existing community which would be exceedingly disruptive to our neighborhoods. 3.)The description of their facility that was provided to the BZA suggests that they plan only to cater to very "mild" memory impaired individuals, so that they would really NOT be providing medical services. They endorsed this assertion at the informational meeting. If this is truly the case, then why will they have nurses writing Care Plans? If they will actually be providing medical services to their residents, then this location is certainly NOT adequate for that effort as has already been elaborated in other documents filed with the BZA by our attorney and other concerned and knowledgeable citizens in this community. 4.) If their residents are truly going to be as mildly affected as the developer claims, then these individuals will have a desire and need for considerable activity. The architectural plans for the facility and surrounding grounds do not look adequate for significant ambulation let alone any more vigorous activity. The developers commented that they were providing more area than some other facilities, but these other facilities are caring for more acutely ill people who cannot, of do not have the will to, undertake significant activity. If these residents do not have adequate activity, they will become at higher risk for inadvertent roaming. Our 1.5 acre pond is only about 100 yards away from that site. 5.) All individuals with dementia require multidisciplinary care in order to slow the progression of their deterioration and deal with other associated complications (e.g., balance problems, communication limitations, etc.). This is particularly true for milder stages of the disease process. This would include treatment by physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and recreational therapists. The developer has no plans to provide these services "in house" (again, this is not supposed to be medical facility); however, they say that the residents'doctors could order these services and the individual therapists would come to the facility. If each of 12 residents had all 4 therapies 3 times per week, it would result in 144 visits to that facility per week. That does not include the potential for daily visits for each resident by one family member each for another 84 visits per week. There would be additional traffic from deliveries for food, cleaning, and other maintenance services. This does not include visits for services to manage other medical problems that these patients may have (e.g., respiratory therapies, oxygen supplies, wound care, and others). West Road is not large enough to handle all this traffic especially considering that Carmel has designated it an official bicycle route. And, what about the parking to handle all this traffic? In addition, this activity will generate significantly increased noise. 6.) Individuals with dementia are at markedly increased risk for other medical problems and for acute deterioration of their cognitive function even with very minor provocation. If the only staff will be certified nursing assistants or home health aides, any questionable change in the status of a resident will necessitate the summons of an ambulance, especially at night. Such situations could generate a couple of sirens per week, as a conservative estimate. That would result in a massive increase of siren activity, in our area, which would be particularly disruptive. In summary, I do not believe that the developer and his colleagues completely understand the needs of the residents they want to solicit. They are underestimating the amount of care these residents will need. More importantly; they are underestimating the amount of space the staff will need to effectively manage these residents in terms of their mobility and of their visiting services. The space for which they are requesting zoning variances would not be adequate even if they did not need the variances. The surrounding community is not appropriate for the amount of activity that this facility will very likely generate. As for me and the other area residents, we all moved to this location and paid significant amounts of money for our lots and homes because we wanted to have some distance between our homes and ANY commercial establishment regardless of type. This entire area was intended to be residential, and particularly ESTATE residential, per the Carmel city planners. Therefore, we all thought living here would accomplish our goal of avoiding commercial development. • I would respectfully ask that the members of the BZA do not approve any of the requested variances for the Willow Haven Senior Home at this location. Sincerely, Robert S. Flint, MD, PhD President, Glen Oaks HOA President, 7th District of the Indiana State Medical Association Immediate Past President, Indiana Neurological Society