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Enfield PZC: Nursing home apartment conversion plan inadequate

Journal Inquirer - 6/1/2021

Jun. 1—ENFIELD — The Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday deemed a developer's application to convert the former Blair Manor nursing home on Hazard Avenue into apartments to be inadequate, and requested that an updated proposal be presented at its next meeting.

PROPOSED APARTMENTS

DEVELOPER: Meadow Manor LLC of Enfield.

WHAT: Presented an application to convert the former Blair Manor nursing home property in Enfield into a 43-unit apartment complex but the PZC deemed the application inadequate.

NEXT STEP: The developer will return to the next PZC meeting on June 10 with an updated application.

Local developer and property owner Meadow Manor LLC submitted plans to convert the former nursing home at 612 Hazard Ave. into a 43-unit apartment complex consisting of mostly one- and two-bedroom apartments in April.

However, PZC members expressed a desire for larger units, a full set of measurements of the existing building, and for the developer to consider a potential mixed use for the site, such as a combination of apartments and commercial development.

Peter Alter, an attorney with Alter and Pearson in Glastonbury, and Dana P. Steele, an engineer with J.R. Russo and Associates in East Windsor, appeared before the PZC Thursday to give their presentation on behalf of Meadow Manor LLC.

"We think we can turn this into something the community can be really proud of," Alter told the commission.

The plans included no additions or major renovations to the existing building. The developers proposed the creation of 43 units ranging from studio apartments to one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, each with their own laundry and reserved parking spot. The complex would include a gym and recreation area and improvements would be made to landscaping on the property. The parking lot would be upgraded from 69 spaces to 97.

Alter said the proposal fits in with the town's Plan of Conservation and Development in that it introduces new housing options in town and utilizes a vacant building.

"That's really what this site plan application is about," Alter said.

While the PZC expressed its support for the idea, it deemed the application inadequate. Chairman Ken Nelson Jr. said that some of the rooms in the units were too small and did not meet the town's regulations.

"You came in below all the thresholds," Nelson said. "Take two of these 500-square-foot units and make one a 1,000-square-foot unit, now you meet the regulation."

He also told the developer to try to add a commercial use to the property as well, and to return with full measurements of the existing building.

PZC member Francis Alaimo also requested that the developer consider adding outdoor recreation options on the property like a walking trail or picnic area.

"Along with what my colleagues are saying, maybe we can look at a little of that stuff, too," Alaimo said.

The PZC invited Alter and Steele back to their next meeting on June 10 to present an updated application.

"We're absolutely willing to work with you," Nelson said.

The property has been vacant since the nursing home's controversial closing in 2017.

For 50 years prior it served as the Blair Manor nursing home until it was ordered closed by a Hartford Superior Court judge in November 2017 after being in state receivership. A year earlier the owner, Cheshire-based Affinity Healthcare Management Inc., had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The decision to close the facility was made despite many objections from Blair Manor employees and residents' family members, and left its 57 residents in need of new homes. Some family members, nurses, and an expert told the Journal Inquirer at the time that the stress of relocating played a role in some of the 17 resident deaths that occurred shortly after leaving the facility.

Adam covers the towns of Enfield and Suffield. For more updates, follow Adam on Twitter: @AHushinJI and Facebook: Adam Hushin.

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