New memory care facility could bring 50 jobs

“It’s a valuable asset because a lot of families are looking for these type of facilities,” said Roland Wintzinger, the owner, president and CEO of Heritage Development Partners. “If somebody’s relocating to the area, they’re looking for a facility like that because they’d like to keep their mom or dad close by …”

A new study by the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University forecasts that 22 percent of Ohio’s residents will be 65 or older in less than two decades. That number is expected to mount as the number of people 85 and older grows from 260,000 today to some 675,000 by 2050.

The Liberty Twp. project would offer 60 patient rooms and 66 beds with specialized care for those with Alzheimer’s, as well as any other dementias.

The site, which hasn’t been developed since 2007, has four existing cottages with only one of the cottages occupied, Wintzinger said. Heritage Development Partners would construct 13 new cottages with two units each for a total of 26 new units.

“We’re just incorporating those cottages into our business model because they’re there,” Wintzinger said. “The residents that live there, it’ll be independent and assisted living and they’ll still be able to utilize the amenities in our main facility … participate in activities, have meals. It’ll kind of be like a clubhouse for them.”

Liberty Twp. Zoning Commission on Monday evening voted unanimously to recommend approval of a major modification to a planned unit development for the site.

If approved by trustees next month, construction on the single-story facility would start in September and finish next summer at an estimated cost of $12.5 million, he said.

The center is expected to create 45 to 50 “well-paying jobs” with a payroll of between $1.4 million and $1.5 million, Wintzinger said.

The site is located just north of assisted living facility Barrington of West Chester and nursing home Heritagespring of West Chester.

“We feel like it provides a good transition facility going from that commercial into the residential area … to the north,” Wintzinger said.

Clarity Pointe has three facilities in operation — one in Tennessee and two in Arkansas — one scheduled to open next month in Jacksonville, Fla. and one that’s under construction in Louisville, Ky., he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.