Rehab center could become senior facility
WESTPORT — There might be a new look — and focus — coming to the Westport Rehabilitation Center.
The Burr Road facility, which is leased by the Westport Rehabilitation Center, currently houses residents and provides physical therapy, speech therapy, memory care, pallative and hospice care, post-trauma care and rehabilitation.
Some have plans for it to become a medical facility that specializes in the care of Alzheimer’s, dementia and other memory impairments.
The Planning and Zoning Commission is holding a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Monday on Zoom to discuss the proposed text amendment that will modify zoning regulations, making the change possible.
Richard Redniss, of Redniss and Mead, said in application filings that the goal of the amendment is “to help maintain, enhance and meet the growing need for senior housing options, and to help redevelop existing nonconforming nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities.”
The amendment, submitted by Redniss, includes standards for expansion and redevelopment into a medical facility.
The proposed redevelopment standards would only benefit the facility at 1 Burr Road, which is currently the rehabilitation center, according to the town.
The existing facility is planned to be redeveloped into a “senior living facility,” according to Text Amendment 817. Specific renovations include minor second and third floor additions, a new roof and brick façade, parking and landscape improvements, as well as infilling a part of the first floor and relocating mechanical units to the roof.
The building has been in use since the 1960s and does not conform with many zoning regulations. The explanatory statement describes it as “worn and tired” compared to the surrounding neighborhood.
There are multiple goals outlined in the plan. Some include promoting a good design and community design, improving business areas along Route 1, maintaining residential character and monitoring changing housing needs.
The facility currently has 63 rooms, 57 of which are shared. The plan would reduce the number of available beds from 120 to 68 beds.
This reduction allows for better privacy and enhanced day-to-day operations, as well as better distancing within the facility and improved quality of living and care, according to the explanatory statement. State data from May 10 shows the building generally houses about 37 residents.
Attorney Peter Gelderman of the Town Attorney’s Office received a referral of the text amendment proposal. According to the description, he concluded the proposal is legal and within the authority of P&Z to approve regulations to benefit 1 Burr Road.
“The test is not whether the proposed amendment currently applies to only one property,” he said, “rather whether the regulation applies uniformly to the entire district. The proposed regulation in fact applies to all districts.”
This is not the first time someone hoped to remodel the location. The landlord previously attempted to change it into a boutique hotel, as well as demolish and rebuild it, but both faced pushback, according to application documents.