Minden senior living facility wins extension

Developers of a 130-unit senior living facility located in Minden will have another two years to build after an extension was approved by Douglas County planning commissioners Tuesday.

The vote was 4-2 with Maureen Casey and Nicholas Meier opposed.

Christy Corp. representative Mike Railey said the project was moving forward at the beginning of 2020 when the coronavirus occurred.

“I don’t think any of us could have predicted the impact the pandemic would have on this project moving forward,” Railey said.

He said the impact of COVID on the assisted living industry has altered the overall operation and design of the structure.

“Now that there is hope on the horizon, they are very optimistic about the marketplace.”

Originally a three-story structure that would have been connected with the Carson-Tahoe Hospital clinic located at Ironwood and Highway 395, designers have altered the proposal to be more of a campus.

Lumos and Associates Tim Russell said while they are still seeking a height variance, the structure will be shorter by a story.

Instead of 45 feet the structure will be 38.6 feet tall. He said they’re still looking for a variance because they have to build the structure out of the flood plain.

Russell said Martin Slough is the source of water on the property and that the county’s 35-foot height limit is from grade.

The living facility will be owned by Integral Senior Living, which owns and operates similar facilities across the country.

Originally approved in 2007, the project returned a decade later as the Verandah.

In 2007, the project was a subsequent phase of the construction of the 47,400-square-foot medical building next door. The project was scrapped by the Great Recession.