Latest building boom in McCandless focuses on senior citizen housing
While construction of new single-family homes and townhouses in McCandless isn’t expected to stop anytime soon, many of the developments currently in the pipeline are aimed at people of a different demographic — senior citizens.
Three major multil-unit developments are in the works to build the stock of housing for people who no longer need the room to raise a family.
“I think what we’re seeing (from developers) is a response to people who own homes here and want to remain in McCandless as they grow older,” said Bruce Betty, the town’s planning administrator. “Some are looking to be close to their children who have bought homes in the town and others want to live in a place that offers them independence by being close to shopping areas as well as a way to easily transition into a nursing facility when that becomes necessary.”
The largest of the facilities currently under construction is Atria McCandless, which is located on a 10-acre parcel adjacent to the LA Fitness in the McCandless Crossing shopping center on McKnight Road.
When completed, the four-story, 200,00-square-foot building is expected to contain a mix of 94 independent-living apartments, 60 assisted-living units and 32-memory care rooms, Betty said.
While winter weather could affect the completion date, Betty estimates that the facility should be done within nine months to a year.
“They’ve got about three-fourths of the shell done,” he said. “So if the weather cooperates, they should be able to get the rest of the exterior finished fairly soon and begin focusing on the interior.”
The project is being developed by CA Senior Living Holdings LLC of Chicago.
Also under construction is Terrace Place at Vincentian , a 91-unit development being built by Vincentian Collaborative Systems at the intersection of Kummer Road and Babcock Boulevard near UPMC Passavant hospital.
The developer is building a three-story masonry and glass structure on the 10-acre site of the former Regency nursing home, which already was demolished before the project was proposed.
Stonecrest of McCandless is an 85-unit development under construction in McCandless Crossing West. All of the apartments are assisted-living units with a “memory care” component, according to Betty.
Construction is expected to be completed in early 2019.
While formal plans have not yet been submitted to the town for consideration, the developers of the McCandless Crossing shopping center is teaming up with an Ohio company to develop the 23-acre site of the former Trader Horn department store along Blazier Drive .
The site is where Wal-Mart proposed building a supercenter several years ago. The development does not include the 26.72-acre property along Blazier where the vacant Rave Cinema building is located. That property is in a flood plain that is generally not considered suitable for development.
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TonyLaRussaTrib.
