This will be the sixth public hearing
The Lawrence Township Zoning Board of Adjustment expects to hear more testimony from the developer of a proposed assisted living facility at the site of the historic William Gulick House when it meets May 17.
The 7 p.m. meeting will be held at the Lawrence Township Municipal Building. It is the sixth meeting in a series of public meetings on Care One at Lawrence LLC’s use variance application for the assisted living facility.
Care One at Lawrence LLC is seeking a use variance to build a 170-bed assisted living facility on the 6.4-acre property at the corner of Route 206 and Province Line Road. Assisted living facilities are not allowed in the Environmental Protection-1 residential zone.
The applicant has proposed constructing a 113,391-square-foot building with 118 private rooms and 26 semi-private rooms in a three-story building on the site of the William Gulick House.
The application proposes moving the William Gulick House to a new lot that would be carved out of the 6.4-acre lot. The new lot would be close to the corner of Route 206 and Province Line Road.
At the Zoning Board’s April 19 meeting, consultant Alice Katz testified to the need for the assisted living facility. She is the president of The Vinca Group LLC, which conducted a “projected demand” study.
Katz said that within a five-mile radius, there are four communities that operate 157 routine assisted living beds and 126 Alzheimer’s disease or dementia assisted living beds. The occupancy rate is 69% for the routine assisted living beds and 87% for the dementia beds.
When the number of beds is expanded to a 10-mile radius, there are 820 routine assisted living beds and 301 Alzheimer’s disease or dementia assisted living beds, Katz said. Occupancy is 72% for routine assisted living beds and 80% for the dementia beds.
By 2028, there will be a projected need for 1,558 routine assisted living beds and 1,998 dementia assisted living beds within a 10-mile market radius of Care One at Lawrence LLC’s proposed facility, Katz said.
Zoning board members and the public will have a chance to ask Katz questions at the upcoming meeting.
The three-story William Gulick House was built by wealthy farmer William Gulick in 1855. It was built in the Italianate style and remodeled in the 1920s to reflect the Colonial Revival architectural style.
The William Gulick House is included on Lawrence Township’s list of historic properties. However, it is not included on the state Register of Historic Places or the national Register of Historic Places.
The house was highlighted in 2005 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation on its online magazine website. It was placed on Preservation New Jersey’s list of the 10 most endangered sites in 2007.
