Why this matters
Annual census estimates show people ages 65 and older have steadily made up about 13% of Chula Vista’s population over the past decade. Overall, they are nearly three-fourths more likely to need some type of long-term care service and support.
A west Chula Vista retirement community wants to build more housing for older residents, but city rules could stand in the way.
Leaders of Fredericka Manor, a 24-acre community at 183 Third Ave., want to add 200 more housing units where a nursing home once operated.
But it wasn’t until Front Porch, the Glendale nonprofit that operates Fredericka, began exploring options for the former nursing home that it learned its long-running operations are at odds with city policies.
The city’s land use designations call for the Fredericka site to have single-family and lower-density residential homes, as well as public and quasi-public uses — a relic of the old nursing facility.
Senior housing doesn’t conform with either of those designations, a city official said. The site is also zoned for residential apartments, and senior housing is only allowed if what’s known as a conditional use permit is obtained.
City spokesperson John Cihomsky said staff “identified the conflict” while reviewing a pre-application last year and advised that any future proposals to build on Fredericka “would need to demonstrate consistency” with city plans and code.
“Based on available records, the City has not been able to determine when the property’s current zoning and General Plan land use designations first diverged,” he said.
Cihomsky said applicants have been successful in obtaining amendments for “project specific” developments.
Front Porch wants to do just that.
Laura Darling, a spokesperson for Front Porch, said the nonprofit submitted an application to amend the city’s rules for its project earlier this summer.
“Fredericka Manor can continue to operate as a non-conforming use,” Darling said. “However, our existing outdated buildings cannot be replaced and new buildings cannot be constructed until the general plan is amended and the specific plan is approved.”
Darling said the nonprofit wants to build additional units with private kitchens for older adults who want to live more independently. Other units at the site don’t have kitchens and instead tenants rely on site-provided meals.
Many of Fredericka’s existing apartments are aging, small and lack modern amenities such as washers and dryers, modern kitchens or fully accessible bathrooms, she said. Darling said Front Porch wants to build homes that are “useful and beneficial” at the site of the nonprofit’s former 174-bed nursing home.
Chula Vista officials’ Age-Friendly Action Plan found older residents want housing affordability and home design modifications for those who are physically challenged.
Sixty-five-year-olds are nearly three-fourths more likely to need some type of long-term care service and support, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Services. Annual census estimates show people 65 and older have steadily made up about 13% of Chula Vista’s population over the past decade.
Fredericka opened more than a century ago as a two-story residence on 10 acres. It has 239 units for independent living units; 24 for assisted living; and 44 for residents with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. The cost to live there, depending on square footage, can exceed $7,000 a month.
Front Porch said the project does not include any plans for what are known as affordable housing units. Darling said the nonprofit does not yet know the total cost of the project, which it aims to build in the next two years.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
