City Council Approves Assisted Living Facility In West Meadows

By Matt Wiley

Just a little more than a year after plans for a charter school on Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. in New Tampa were shot down by the Tampa City Council, another development concept has gotten the go-ahead.

At a meeting on January 17, the City Council members unanimously approved the rezoning and development of the land between Brinegar Cir. and New Tampa Blvd. on the west side of Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. in the West Meadows PUD (Planned Unit Development). The land has been rezoned from PDA (Planned Development Alternative) to PD (planned development) for a congregate living facility and office buildings.

The 17.24-acre site will be the future home of the 64,240-sq.-ft. Legacy at Highwoods Preserve, an 88-bed assisted living facility that, much like the new Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC), will combine cutting-edge technology with top-notch patient care. The facility will specialize in assisted living, but also will have a 44-bed wing dedicated to Alzheimer’s care. The site also will house 7,500 sq. ft. of office space in three buildings, 2,500 of which could be used for medical space.

The Legacy, a collaboration between Houston-based PinPoint Commercial, LP, and Thrive Senior Living, LLC, is one of nine assisted care facilities currently planned, or already in development, across the southeastern U.S. for the partnership, including locations in Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.

Jeramy Ragsdale, a principal for Thrive, says that the company is working closely with the neighbors of the approved site and with the West Meadows Home Owners Association (HOA) to design a plan that addresses any and all concerns.

Brad van Rooyen, president of the West Meadows HOA, spoke at the meeting in favor of the development. He previously appeared at a City Council meeting in January 2012 to speak in opposition to a proposed charter school being built on the same site.

“We think (the assisted living facility) is going to be a great asset, not only for West Meadows, but the surrounding communities as well,” he said to the Council. “I’m here tonight to ask you to support this development.”

Ragsdale says that construction is currently planned for early in the second quarter of 2013. A second reading in front of the Council currently is planned for Thursday, February 7.