Santa Rosa open retirement home for Gay and Lesbian

Santa Rosa's Planning Commission Thursday, February 11th,  approved the first-ever gay and lesbian retirement community proposed in Sonoma County, a once controversial project that won neighborhood acceptance after it was scaled back in size.

“This has been a long, arduous process but this is a better match with the neighborhood,” said Commissioner Patti Cisco, who joined other commissioners in praising Aegis Senior Living for reducing the size of the 148-unit community care Fountaingrove Lodge facility to 109 units. Twelve of the units would be for employee housing. Senior planner Erin Morris said the reduction in building square footage from 316,000 to 236,600 square feet along with the elimination of some residential structures and 18 parking spaces allowed the developer to preserve more trees on the oak-dotted parcel, increase setbacks, lower the project's main building height by six feet and squeeze more recreational facilities onto the site for the age 60-and-older residents.

Morris said the smaller project reduces the project's visual impact on the Fountaingrove neighborhood site that had drawn the most concern from neighbors.

The 9.8-acre, mountain-top property is sandwiched between Thomas Lake Harris Road to the west and the Fountaingrove Golf Course to the east.

 

This article was created by Mike MeCoy. Read Full article at PressDemocrat.com