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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPacket for HO 06-24-24Dear Board of Zoning Appeals members, My name is Andy Hein, and I am applying for a special exception permit at 4423 East 116th Street to create a 10-person Legato Living boutique memory care home for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Dementia is a considerable national and local issue as our senior population explodes. The Alzheimer's Association states that 1 in 3 people die of some form of dementia. Based on the 2020 census, there are 73 million baby boomers nationally, all of whom will be 65 by 2030. And so there will soon be over 24 million people who will suffer from dementia. In Hamilton County and the far north part of Indianapolis, there are currently about 81,000 residents aged 65 and over. There are about 8,200 aged 85 and over. By 2029, there will be 107,000 people aged 65 and over, and there will be over 12,000 people aged 85 and over. In our community there will be over 3 5,000 people who will be suffering from dementia, along with their families. Existing services for memory- impaired people, however, are inadequate. Most memory impaired people requiring assistance are placed into large big-box assisted living homes or nursing home facilities, neither of which address their unique needs. These large memory care facilities are too big as the disease progresses and have a high resident-to-staff ratio (often 14:1 or higher), where the focus is on a residents' "apartment." Residents feel alone in their apartment in these large places, and many do not know how to use a call light for help. Memory impaired people require significantly more individual caregiver attention, and these facilities cannot support that. Thus, at worst, memory impaired people are left to sit in nursing home rooms or by themselves in assisted living common areas. At Legato, residents spend their time in a home setting like they always have and in common areas so they can see other residents. We provide low resident-to-caregiver ratios (about 5:1), with our caregivers engaging residents in common areas and our residents not stuck most of the day in nursing home rooms. This provides a higher quality of life for residents and lowers the chance of negative incidents that can occur in larger facilities, such as running away and neglect. During the day, we will have two caregivers, with one at night. We will also have a house manager who will oversee operations. We will provide meals, laundry, activities, and other personal care services for our residents. We will not be providing medical care. The home has adequate on-site parking (7 spaces) for the two or three staff members and visitors, as residents do not drive. Common visiting hours are between 10 am - 6 pm, due to residents' activity levels, which will minimize early or late traffic. Finally, the home is currently an Airbnb, and our use will provide more stability to the property. We plan to remodel the home’s interior to focus on our residents’ unique needs and to add seven bedrooms to the existing three, which will require a three-bedroom addition to the home’s back and renovating the attached garage. We will be upgrading the exterior landscaping. Because we want to provide the home-living experience our residents have always known, we will maintain the character and look-and-feel of the existing home. In addition to sending the legally required notices, on May 8 we delivered a letter to our immediate neighbors, describing our project and including plans for their review. To date, no neighbor has commented on our plans. We have included a copy of the letter and plans in our packet. Statement of Request and Description of Project The applicant, Andy Hein, is seeking to remodel the home at 4423 E. 116th Street to create a boutique memory care home for 10 residents with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia and is requesting a special exception for a 20 year term. The UDO Sections being varied are 2.09 and/or 9.08: Renovation of home for purpose of starting a boutique memory care group home. The home is zoned R-2. The project will involve remodeling parts of the home's interior, updating the drive, converting the garage into bedrooms, and adding a bedroom addition to the back of the house. Statement of Support The applicant, Andrew Hein, will be starting a Legato Living home for 10 residents, which is a boutique memory care home for residents with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia and is requesting a special exception for a 20 year term. The UDO Sections being varied are 2.09 and/or 9.08: Renovation of home for purpose of starting a boutique memory care group home. The home is zoned R-2. Dementia is a significant issue as our senior population explodes. The Alzheimer's Association states that 1 in 3 people die of some form of dementia. Current large memory care facilities are still too big as the disease progresses and have a high resident-to-staff ratio (often 14:1 or higher), where the focus is on a residents' "apartment." Residents feel alone in their apartment in these large places, and many do not know how to use a call light for help. At Legato, residents spend their time in a home setting like they always have and in common areas so they can see other residents. We have a low resident-to-staff ratio (5:1) to provide extra care for our residents. During the day, we will have two caregivers, with one at night. We will also have a house manager who will oversee operations. We will provide meals, laundry, activities, and other personal care services for our residents, but not medical care. The home has adequate parking (7 spaces) for the two or three staff members and visitors, as residents do not drive. Common visiting hours are between 10 am - 6 pm, due to residents' activity levels, which will minimize early or late traffic. The home is currently an Airbnb, and our use will provide stability to the property. We plan to remodel the home’s interior to make it more user-friendly for our residents and to add seven bedrooms to the existing three. This will require a three-bedroom addition to the back of the home. We will upgrade the landscaping. Our goal is to provide the home experience our residents have always known, we will maintain the character and look-and-feel of the existing home. In addition to sending the legally required notices, on May 8 we delivered a letter to our immediate neighbors, describing our project and including plans for their review. To date, no neighbor has commented on our plans. We have included a copy of the letter and plans in our packet. Please see the Findings of Fact for other information. SEWER NOTES: FROM CONSULATION WITH JERRY SMITH WITH CARMEL UTILITIES AND ELEVATION EXCAVATION 1. LINE TO VIDEO INSPECTED TO DETERMINE IF LINE IS FEASIBLE FOR FUTURE USE. LINE TO BE REMOVED & REINSTALLED IF NEEDED. 2. CLEAN OUT NOT LOCATED AT HOUSE. ADD CO WITHIN 5'-0" OF FOUNDATION IF ONE DOSE NOT EXIST. WATER NOTES: FROM CONSULATION WITH JERRY SMITH WITH CARMEL UTILITIES AND ELEVATION EXCAVATION 1. FINAL LINE SIZING TO BE DERMINED BY FIRE SUPPRESSION CO. 2. WATER METER & BACKFLOW DEVICE TO BE PLACED IN INTERIOR MECHANICAL ROOM 3. CURB STOP VALVE TO BE INSTALLED, IF NEEDED 4. ABANDONMENT AT MAIN TO REQUIRE STAINLESS STEEL SLEEVE/BAND CLAMP EXISTING SS CLEAN OUT TO REMAIN, ADD TOP HAT LID/ CASTING IF IN DRIVEWAY NEW 1.5" LINE TAP INTO EX. 10" MAIN (TAP SADDLE & CORP AS NEEDED) EXISING SANITARY MAIN LINE EXISTING 10" C1 WATER MAIN EXISTING 3/4" OR 1" WATER LINE ABANDON AT MAIN EXISTING SS LATERAL NEW 1.5" WATER LINE TO HOUSE SITE AUDIT WITH SIGMA BUILDERS LLC AND ELEVATION EXCAVATION SEWER NOTES: FROM CONSULATION WITH JERRY SMITH WITH CARMEL UTILITIES AND ELEVATION EXCAVATION 1. LINE TO VIDEO INSPECTED TO DETERMINE IF LINE IS FEASIBLE FOR FUTURE USE. LINE TO BE REMOVED & REINSTALLED IF NEEDED. 2. CLEAN OUT NOT LOCATED AT HOUSE. ADD CO WITHIN 5'-0" OF FOUNDATION IF ONE DOSE NOT EXIST. WATER NOTES: FROM CONSULATION WITH JERRY SMITH WITH CARMEL UTILITIES AND ELEVATION EXCAVATION 1. FINAL LINE SIZING TO BE DERMINED BY FIRE SUPPRESSION CO. 2. WATER METER & BACKFLOW DEVICE TO BE PLACED IN INTERIOR MECHANICAL ROOM 3. CURB STOP VALVE TO BE INSTALLED, IF NEEDED 4. ABANDONMENT AT MAIN TO REQUIRE STAINLESS STEEL SLEEVE/BAND CLAMP EXISTING SS CLEAN OUT TO REMAIN, ADD TOP HAT LID/ CASTING IF IN DRIVEWAY NEW 1.5" LINE TAP INTO EX. 10" MAIN (TAP SADDLE & CORP AS NEEDED) EXISING SANITARY MAIN LINE EXISTING 10" C1 WATER MAIN EXISTING 3/4" OR 1" WATER LINE ABANDON AT MAIN EXISTING SS LATERAL NEW 1.5" WATER LINE TO HOUSE SITE AUDIT WITH SIGMA BUILDERS LLC AND ELEVATION EXCAVATION Page 8 of 12 Filename: special exception handout 2024 _group home_revised Revised 02-22-24 FINDINGS OF FACT - SPECIAL EXCEPTION CARMEL BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS (Petitioner fills out 1-3 + first 2 blanks) Docket No.: _______________________________________________ Petitioner: _______________________________________________ 1.The approval of this Special Exception will not negatively affect surrounding property values because: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 2.This Special Exception will be compatible with existing land uses in the neighborhood because: ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 3.Vehicular and pedestrian traffic in and around the premises will not be substantially affected by this Special Exception because: ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ DECISION ____Yes ____No: The Board has reviewed the requirements of UDO, Section 5.72 as they relate to this Special Exception, and does not find that those criteria prevent the granting of the Special Exception. IT IS THEREFORE the decision of the Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals that Special Exception Docket No. _____________________ is granted, subject to any conditions stated in the minutes of this Board, which are incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof. Adopted this _________ day of _____________________, 20 ____. ___________________________________________ CHAIRPERSON, Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals ___________________________________________ SECRETARY, Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals (Commitments and/or Conditions of approval of the Board, if any, are listed on the Letter of Grant.) The home will maintain its current appearance, and changes will use similar materials and landscaping as the neighboring homes. The proposed use will provide more stability than the current Airbnb use. The residents have dementia, and so do not drive and will not disturb the neighbors. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ The home use will be residential and currently the home has a special exception for Airbnb short term rental, which this Board has renewed. Further, no support staff will be living at the home. The residents do not drive, and there will be seven parking spaces, enough for the two or three staff during the day, one at night, and visitors. At other Legato homes, visitors are at the home between 10 am - 6 pm. There is enough room so that cars do not have to back out onto 116th Street. There are not significant increases in police and fire runs to a Legato home. Our residents have dementia, so unlike assisted living facilities, Legato minimizes police and fire runs to the emergency room, unless necessary. Emergency rooms agitate dementia residents and many wander off in the hospital. Every effort is made to treat safely residents at the home. Andrew R. Hein PZ-2024-00083 Other Pertinent Information to Explain Request On May 8, we hand-delivered the following letter and plans to our immediate neighbors. We have not received any comments from them.