Jackson OKs proposal for senior apartment complex

The Jackson Board of Aldermen on Monday offered its official support for a developer's plan to construct a senior apartment complex on Walton Drive.

RCH Development Inc. president Chad Hartle said he's been waiting for 15 years to get the project started, and the time finally is right.

"This is the very preliminary stage of trying to develop senior living arrangements here in town," he said, "We recognize the need for it, and we want to see this in our city."

The development would include 42 units of two-bedroom senior apartments. Hartle said he files similar applications every year in other towns around the state and is finishing a senior apartment complex in Troy, Missouri, that was funded through Missouri Housing and Development Commission and is identical to the development he's proposes for Jackson.

Hartle is preparing an application for funding from the Missouri Housing and Development Commission, which includes tax credits and other funding sources from state and federal sources, he said.

"But it's a very complicated, very expensive application process," he said. "It's very competitive. Lots of communities want this type of housing."

He said only a quarter of applications typically are accepted.

"I hate to say, because it keeps shrinking every year, but they usually approve 30 to 35 applications," he said, but he pointed out Jackson has demographics on its side. Statistics from the state indicate a shortage of senior housing.

Jackson also is designated as a Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri, or DREAM, community.

"The key element of this application is Jackson being a DREAM community gives us a little bit of an edge over other communities. I looked at the residential report and compared it to other DREAM communities, and we have the greatest shortage of senior housing of any of the 39 DREAM communities," Hartle said.

He also said the location of the proposed development is uniquely suited for senior housing, which should help its chances of acceptance.

"I've owned the ground this is on for 15 years. I purchased it with the intent of building senior housing when the time was right," he said. "Many of our seniors, at 55, they're still in the work force. They'll have the opportunity for a job within walking distance from their home if they want to work."

The board of aldermen also approved a bill proposing an ordinance approving a special-use permit for the 9.08-acre plot on the west side of Walton Drive for development into a senior apartment complex during the meeting.

The application is due before Sept. 4.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573)388-3627