Senior Housing Project Moves Forward

A local husband and wife team has taken the first step toward building senior housing on Howe Road by filing rezoning petitions with the city.

Bill and Martha Boyer, owners of the KidsFirst Learning Center, 15163 Howe Rd., are seeking to turn their adjacent 4-acre vacant parcel into "a high-quality residential facility for seniors aged 50 and over," a news release said.

The $10 million, multi-story structure would have 100 to 125 units and would offer amenities like dining and entertainment as well as health and recreational facilities, according to Bill Boyer.

The Boyers filed petitions with more than 2,500 signatures of Strongsville voters with City Council June 7 to place a rezoning issue on Nov. 5 ballot.

The land is now zoned residential. In Strongsville, voters must approve an zoning change from residential to another district. 

The site is on Howe Road north of KidsFirst and south of Lenox Creek Condominiums.

If voters approve the rezoning, construction could start in 2014.

"Strongsville has been good to us and we're excited to be able to invest again in our community," Boyer said. 

Boyer, who is president of FirstNorth Corporation, a development firm, said the location is ideal.

“Demand for senior facilities is high and our site seems well-suited, with excellent shopping, medical services and recreation all nearby,” he said.

Martha Boyer said they also want to protect the environment near their child care center.

“Senior housing will be an attractive, safe neighbor,” she said. “With this program, we will not have to worry about disturbances or traffic.” 

Law Director Ken Kraus said last week that M & B Strongsville LLC had notified the city it would seek to put an initiative on the ballot to change the zoning of 3.91 acres from the current residential zoning to SR2, a senior citizen living district.

While most developers ask City Council to place the zoning change on the ballot, the Boyers chose to do so through an initiative petition.

They used the same route when building KidsFirst in 2006. Voters approved the change.

The site was created when the Boyers bought two parcels left over from the original Tracy farm in 2003. 

In their news release, the Boyers quote retired Strongsville city planner Bob Hill as supporting the plan.

Hill said officials never expected single-family homes to be built along that stretch of Howe, and senior housing is "an entirely appropriate activity" for that area, which transitions from houses to condos and apartments at the northern leg of Howe.

Hill also said senior residences would not add significant amounts of traffic to the area.

KidsFirst operates two other local child care facilities, in Parma Heights and Olmsted Falls.