Matthews retirement community revives 2008 plan stalled by recession
After spending four years in limbo, a project to expand Matthews’ Plantation Estates retirement community is on the radar again.
ACTS Retirement-Life Communities, the company responsible for building Plantation Estates, applied for a zoning permit in 2008 to build Plantation Village, a 44.88-acre expansion that will be located at the intersection of Fullwood Lane and South Trade Street, near the existing campus on Plantation Estates Drive, off Highway 51 in Matthews. But the project was halted when the recession hit and before construction could begin.
Now, ACTS is hoping to revive the project and recently submitted a zoning request to the Town of Matthews that seeks to change the conditions of the original plan to build a continuing care retirement facility, town spokeswoman Annette Privette Keller said. The request is standard procedure for when a company decides to make changes to a submitted plan, she said. Keller said major changes to the plan include the addition of duplexes as well as changes to the design of a proposed greenway on the campus She said when ACTS originally applied for zoning in 2008, the plan included apartment complexes but no duplexes.
A public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 13, and Matthews commissioners could vote on the project Sept. 10.
“We are still looking to move forward with the project,” said Michael Smith, corporate director of public relations for ACTS. Once construction begins, the entire project would take about four to five years to complete, spanning five phases, Smith said.
According to the current site plan ACTS submitted to the town, Plantation Village would consist of 10 “Maison Court” buildings and 20 duplexes. The Maison Court buildings would be two to three stories with garages. Plans include six apartment units per floor, with a total of 12 to 18 units per building.
The duplexes would be an average of 2,000 square feet per building. Other plans include a clubhouse building with a pool, ponds, rain gardens, tennis courts, a greenway adjacent to South Trade Street and a health-care building for residents who require medical care.
The site plan shows the project divided into five different phases. The first phase of the project would include two Maison Court buildings and seven duplexes as well as two ponds. The second phase would add three duplexes, three Maison Court buildings, a clubhouse, pool and several rain gardens. More duplexes and Maison Court buildings, rain gardens and tennis courts would be added during the third and fourth phases.
The fifth and final phase of the project would see the construction of the healthcare building, which would have a maximum of 140 beds, Keller said. At this point, ACTS isn’t sure what type of facility the building will be.
“There will be a medical addition to the project, although it has not been determined whether it will be assisted living or skilled care,” Smith said.
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