Senior housing proposed at former Westlake hospital site





A plan to build a senior housing complex on the site that once housed the Westlake Medical Center in Westlake Village received a lukewarm reception by the City Council.

One Eighty, the parent company of Leisure Care Retirement Communities, proposed building 124 attached residential units for senior citizens on a 6.2-acre site at 4415 Lakeview Canyon Road.

The property belongs to Hospital Corporation of America, the parent company of Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. Last year, HCA demolished a pair of unused hospital buildings between Westminster Presbyterian Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Watergate Road.

The Westlake City Council reviewed the senior housing project at a March 28 meeting.

In 2008, the council considered an application by Sunrise Senior Living to develop a 200-unit assisted living facility on the property. The plan, which would have required a zoning change, was denied due to concerns about the building size and project density.

The Lakeview Canyon property is zoned for institutions such as schools, hospitals, parks or churches. The developer will need approval from the city to change the zoning and proceed with its senior housing project.

“The project is consistent with the city’s General Plan, building on the city’s reputation to enhance public and private partnerships,” said Ken Robertson, construction manager for Leisure Care.

Leisure Care has been managing and developing retirement communities since 1976. The company manages 38 retirement communities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, including eight in California.

The complex in Westlake Village would include a dining room, administrative offices, social gathering rooms and a gym.

The assisted living services would allow older citizens to keep their residence in the city.

“Right now there’s not an option for them to do that,” Robertson said.

The development would bring jobs to the community and give the public access to a bistro with indoor and outdoor seating. It would include a small park and a 1,000-square-foot pavilion that would be available to residents and organizations for recitals, yoga classes, neighborhood meetings and functions.

“We really believe that our client has responded to the requirements needed from the public zoning,” said architect Armando Gonzalez.

The two-story housing complex would be about 200 feet away from Lakeview Canyon Road and feature a center courtyard with landscaping.

Regarding parking, Gonzalez said the development would include 362 parking spaces, which Leisure Care could share with neighboring Westminster Church and a nearby office complex managed by Warner Pacific to address parking shortages in the area.

Councilmember Ned Davis said the biggest challenge for the project is the proposed zoning change.

“I see why this is a great spot for you. But it feels more like we’re just adding a high-end, fullservice apartment,” he said.

“But maybe you can overcome this public institutional thing and get a zoning change if you show some sort of programing for the community that’s of benefit to them,” he added.

Among other things, officials wanted assurances that the property would be dedicated to senior housing for the long term. They cited concerns about the parking situation.

“I’m still kind of uncomfortable with some of it. . . . You have a great design, but I still feel like you’re taking a square peg and trying to put it in a round hole,” said Councilmember Mark Rutherford, indicating that the project would be better suited for a residential area.

But Councilmember Philippa Klessig said the senior housing could fulfill a city goal to help older citizens stay in the community as they age.

“You are offering a different kind of benefit. It’s not a traditional institution like a swimming pool or community center. The city is already building a large community park. But we are short on senior housing here,” Klessig told the developer.

Klessig was the only council member who supported the Sunrise Senior Living development proposed for the property four years ago.

The developer has not yet filed an application with the city. If an application is received, the City Council will host public hearings later this year to consider the plan in more detail.

“You have a lot to think about and so do we,” Mayor Susan Mc- Sweeney told the developers at the end of their presentation.



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