32-Bed Assisted Living Facility Proposed In Bel Air, Has Hurdles To Overcome

BEL AIR, MD — A proposed 32-bed assisted living facility planned for a former dental office building at 908 South Main Street in Bel Air has been granted a special exception to build in a part of the town zoned for residential office use.

The town's board of appeals voted 3-0 in favor of the special exception during its April 20 meeting. But before the project can advance, it will need additional regulatory approvals from Bel Air officials as well as state officials.

“We have a long road ahead,” John Watts, a builder who is leading the project, said during his testimony before the appeals board.

The project calls for two buildings with 16 beds each. One would be a dedicated memory care unit for residents with cognitive impairments including dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Staff would be on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide care. Watts felt compelled to create the two-building complex in honor of his grandmother who sat on a waiting list for a facility. Instead, she ended up in a large facility with a ratio of staff to residents that wasn't acceptable in his opinion.

Watts and his team intend to renovate and expand the existing two-story structure and build a new two-story building on the vacant lot next door at 910 South Main Street. A new entrance and exit will be built along South Main Street, which still requires approval from the Maryland State Highway Administration.

Each resident would have a private room of 300 to 500 square feet with a bed and bathroom. The facility would offer a hair salon, private chef, theater and space for indoor recreation activities like shuffleboard. There also will be an outdoor seating area and porches.

The plan calls for landscaping to function as a buffer between the property and the Homestead-Wakefield Elementary School campus on its west side and the Wakefield Meadows subdivision to the south. Watts said he'll hire a licensed operator to run the facility. Visiting hours will be between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

During the meeting, Leo Knighton said that additional ambulance traffic from the assisted living facility "could be disruptive."

“(Route) 924 has a lot of traffic and when you come out in the middle of the day, make a left-hand turn, you take your life in your hands,” Knighton said.

Appeals board member Shannon Abel also expressed concern about increased ambulance calls and “family coming in an out all night long.” Board Vice Chair Greg Adolph said his grandmother resides in an assisted living facility and he often is the last person to leave after a visit around 8 p.m.

Bel Air resident Steve Chizmar expressed support for the project at the meeting.

“Our population is aging, so we need more of this kind of facility in town,” Chizmar said.