Senior Home Planned On Forest Avenue

A real estate development company plans to build a senior living facility on an 8.6 acre tract of land on Forest Avenue.

The Shelter Group plans to subdivide the lot currently occupied by on 396 Forest Ave.

The landscape business will stay on Forest Avenue, but will neighbor a facility with 66 independent living apartments, 48 assisted living apartments and 26 dementia care apartments. Assisted living facilities are not permitted on the area of Forest Avenue where Shelter Group plans to build, so the Zoning Board of Adjustment will have to grant its approval before the senior living facility can proceed.

Shelter Group also needs a variance for building height. The maximum height allowed there is 32 feet, and the developer's proposal is a 35-foot tall building.

David Holland, vice president of Shelter Development, a Shelter Group company, said the facility would be for-profit, which means the Borough could collect property taxes from the company. The company would hire about 130 employees to work there, he added.

There is a need for senior living in Paramus, Holland said. Before moving ahead with its plans, the Shelter Group looked at three senior assisted living facilities in Paramus and saw that each had a high occupancy rate, he said.

"There's a significant demand, but also a significant need in the area," Holland said.

Holland pledged that the senior facility would be a "quiet use" for the property and would preserve the green space there. Before making their application, Holland said company representatives met with community leaders and the immediate neighbors of the property.

He described luxurious living conditions for residents, with amenities like a common living room with a fireplace, multiple dining venues, libraries and lounges.

"We strive to make our communities as residential and homelike as possible," Holland said.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment is scheduled to continue hearing the Shelter Group application on March 22.