January 12, 2016 Mr. Adam Sayre, AICP Director of Planning & Development City of Verona 111 Lincoln Street Verona, WI 53593 Re: Emerson on Main development Concept design; Rezoning & Conditional Use Mr. Sayre, City Staff, and Plan Commission members: On behalf of the Owner, Emerson on Main, and our development team, we are submitting this Letter of Intent and enclosed drawings for a new senior independent living development to be located roughly at 841 N Main Street, Verona. Recognizing that final design and construction documents will need to be prepared, engineered, and approved according to the City approval process, we are presenting this project for concept design review in hopes of preliminary approval. Our project team consists of the following organizations: Organizational Structure: Owner: Emerson on Main Kate Shaw and David Pafford 402 Rustic Dr. Madison, WI 53718 608-669-5542 Developer: Crown Commercial Real Estate/Development LLC William Nebel 6629 University Ave., #105 Middleton, Wi 53562 608-831-2618 Construction Manager: 1848 Construction Jim Anderson 6607 University Ave. Middleton, WI 53562 608-833-1848 Architect: Shulfer Architects, LLC Steve Shulfer 1918 Parmenter Street, Ste 2 Middleton, WI 53562 608-836-7570
Purpose This proposal is to develop a sustainable full service premier retirement living community for seniors over age 55, with the expected average age between 75 and 94. The proposed development will embrace active aging philosophies, as well as universal and ADA accessible eco-friendly design, to promote independence, self-determination, fitness, mobility, socialization, health and well-being, continued community involvement, purposeful engagement, proper nutrition and hydration, intergenerational programs, and life-long learning, while honoring individual rights, dignity, and selfworth of seniors. Full service independent living for seniors does not require a state license and is considered independent senior living. Full services include: Staff on site and available 24/7 Live in service coordinators Home cooked meals with traditional, Mediterranean, paleo, vegetarian, & farm to table options. Purposeful Activities Continued Community Engagement Transportation Options Housekeeping and Laundry Services Maintenance and Utilities Emergency call response systems Secured and monitored access safety Universal and ADA accessible design to reduce falls and promote independence Access to 3 rd party in home care agency of choice if ever needed Please note: apartments will have the future ability to convert to a RCAC (Residential Care Apartment Complex) registration if in the future it is ever desired; however, there are no additional building codes to follow to convert to RCAC and no review or registration required during construction to convert a portion of apartments to RCAC at a later time. Social and Economic Impact Nationally the population of people over age 60 will double by the year 2020 and each day for the next 16 years, more than 10,000 American baby boomers will turn 65. These national statistics as well as qualitative and quantitative research completed by the owners show there is a need for innovative and creative housing designs that offer a more home like setting, increased independence, and more resort style amenities and services to attract not only seniors but also aging baby boomers as well. Independent Retirement Communities that offer full services to promote independence and aging in place help avoid preventable declines in health and well-being and also help avoid the need for seniors to move out of their community or to nursing homes. Verona is an ideal community for retirement communities, not only due to the proximity to Madison, but mainly because of the charm and reputation of Verona as a welcoming, dynamic, and vibrant community with wonderful amenities and local businesses to utilize, including an active local senior center, as well as great sidewalks and bike paths offering seniors safe access to the community and nature.
The proposed development will also be a valuable resource to Verona as well by offering additional senior housing options for seniors to remain in their own community; new employment opportunities with approximately 20 FTE positions created offering a dynamic and positive work environment with a strong emphasis on employee wellness, work-life balance, and professional development which in turn improves quality of services for the residents at the same time; increase the property tax substantially for the proposed site; encourage and increase local business use; and the construction phases will offer additional employment for local trades people and purchases from local businesses. Facility and Site Design The means of this design proposal is to redevelop an existing urban site on North Main Street, Verona into a new senior independent living facility. The current property is occupied by a single family home and farmstead with associated barn and outbuildings. Site Design Landscape beautification will be planned for the entire property, including flower gardens, patios, organic vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and paved walking paths for safe and pleasant strolls. Access to the site will be gained via two driveways: a primary entrance from N. Main Street; and an alternate/emergency drive exiting onto N. Edge Trail. The intent is to bring all traffic through the Main Street drive entrance, including residents, visitors, staff and services. Additionally, the team will pursue an arrangement which may create a cross access agreement for use of an existing driveway curb cut currently on the neighboring First Choice Dental property to the north. Parking will be provided on site for between 50 and 60 vehicles, plus approximately eight to ten enclosed garage spaces. A covered resident drop-off is proposed on the north side of the site, as well as loading zones near service entrances. Due to the fact that the site slopes from north to south by between 16 and 18 feet, care will be taken to step down the building to follow the topography, locate stormwater management facilities on the south side of the site. A listing and calculation of approximate impervious area follows: Lot Area: Building Footprint (Ph. I): Building Footprint (Ph. II): Site Hardscape: +/- 136,300 sf (~ 3.13 acres) +/- 27,000 sf +/- 12,000 sf +/- 42,000 sf Total Impervious Area: +/- 81,000 sf (~ 59.4%) Building Design The structures will incorporate two executive style cottage homes with inviting and charming front porches for a more home-like residential appearance using Craftsman style architectural detailing.
This design will provide residential beautification to enhance community aesthetics, build neighborhood relationships, instill community pride, and promote community involvement and use. Building height will be of two and three stories with gabled roofs reaching a height of about 45 feet above grade at the tallest roof ridges. Exterior materials that are being considered include a combination of painted lap siding with a similar low-maintenance painted trim. Accent masonry would be used generously. Roofing would be dimensional asphalt shingles. Color selections are to be determined, but all final exterior design and material selections would be presented to the City for review during the requisite approval process. The development will be constructed in two phases. Phase I will consist of approximately 40 residential units of the following mix: Studio Suites 10 Efficiencies 12 One Bedroom 12 Two Bedrooms 6 Total 40 Amenities such as common dining and lounge spaces, recreation rooms, commercial kitchen, public and private living spaces, resident library, coffee shop, therapy pool, etc.,. A Phase II option will add 40-60 apartments with similar unit ratio for a total of 80-100 units. Likely Building Areas: Phase I (2-3 stories): +/- 70,000 gsf Phase II (2-3 stories): +/- 36,000 gsf Zoning The property will require a rezoning from the current residential zoning to the Neighborhood Office District. The proposed zoning district would be the same as neighboring properties to the north and south. Furthermore, this district will allow the facility type and dwelling unit density that is requested. A conditional use permit under the premise of Institutional / Residential Land Use will also be requested, which will allow up to 50 dwelling units per acre. Project Schedule and Management Construction is planned to begin in late summer/fall of 2016 with phase I completion scheduled for occupancy in late spring/summer of 2017. Phase II is projected for 2018 or 2019 once phase I is fully occupied. All building operations of the proposed retirement living community will be professionally managed by experienced personnel retained by the owners. Building management will be responsible for all building services, including building and grounds maintenance and trash removal. The building will be staffed 24 hours per day/7 days per week.
Conclusion Thank you for your time in reviewing our proposal. We look forward to discuss this project with you at the February 1, 2016 Plan Commission meeting. In the interim, should there be any questions that I can address prior to the meeting, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. Respectfully, SHULFER ARCHITECTS, LLC Steve Shulfer, AIA Partner
1 AREA MAP 01/12/2016 CONCEPT NORTH 1 SITE PLAN NORTH A1.1 SITE PLAN 841 N. MAIN ST. / HWY M, VERONA, WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY EMERSON ON MAIN SHULFER
1 WEST EXTERIOR ELEVATION - STREET FRONT 2 NORTH EXTERIOR ELEVATION (SOUTH SIMILAR/OPPOSITE) 3 WEST EXTERIOR ELEVATION 01/12/2016 CONCEPT A3.1 EXTERIOR ELEVATIONS EMERSON ON MAIN INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY 841 N. MAIN STREET / HWY M, VERONA, WISCONSIN SHULFER