Plans For Natick Senior Living Complex Will Go To Another Public Hearing

NATICK, MA — As plans advance this week for a 116-unit assisted living residence in Natick, older people may soon have a new housing option.

The town’s planning board is slated to take up the proposed facility at a public hearing on Wednesday. If the board approves the project and it moves ahead, the result would be a three-story building with a footprint of 40,200 square feet on North Main Street, across from the Stop & Shop supermarket plaza. Construction could begin later this year.

Benchmark at Natick, as the facility is dubbed, would provide a “residential environment that offers supportive services to individuals 55 years of age or older who are unable to live independently in the community,” a town document says.

The site covers eight existing properties owned by Lakewood North Main Realty Trust. Some of the office and retail buildings would be razed, although the leased offices at 220 North Main St. would continue operation.

The project is being led by Benchmark Senior Living, which owns and operates 70 assisted living facilities in the Northeast and is headquartered in Waltham, and National Development Associates of New England, a real estate investment company based in Newton.

As part of the project, the developers plan to upgrade the site's landscaping, utilities and lighting. The project also would create 96 parking spaces, adding to the 72 already there.

Benchmark at Natick requires zoning waivers and other approvals, and the planning board has held several hearings on the project since December. At a meeting last month, the developers unveiled plan modifications based on public feedback – including adjustments to the parking layout, smaller light poles and an additional crosswalk and sidewalk.

Driven by the aging population of residents, Natick is "underserved" by housing that meets the needs of older people, the developers have said. More than 6,500 of the town's 37,000 residents are over age 65, but there are only 174 units of assisted living.

The Natick Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Feb. 11, at Town Hall, 13 East Central St., and can also be accessed via Zoom or the Natick Government Channel. For more information, click here.