Residents will have an opportunity to learn and ask questions about a 72-bed assisted living complex proposed for 37 Church Hill Road in the borough, when the Borough Zoning Commission (BZC) holds a public hearing on the Church Hill Village project at 7:15 pm on Wednesday, August 9, at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street.

Starting at 6:30 pm, a regular BZC meeting will precede the hearing.

"The application, as far as we know, is complete," BZC Chairman Douglas Nelson said August 1. Mr Nelson said that architect Hugh Sullivan, who is the agency's architectural consultant, has been reviewing the application for completeness and conformance with the BZC's Village District zoning regulations, which concern the aesthetics of commercial architecture/landscaping in the Village District overlay zone.

Applicant Teton Capital Company, LLC, of Old Greenwich is seeking three separate approvals from the BZC. They are a site development plan approval, a special zoning permit, and a Village District zoning certificate.

The complex would include ten separate buildings and interconnecting passageways on the 3.97-acre site.

Church Hill Village would provide housing for the "frail elderly," generally for people over age 75.

The Church Hill Village project would be the first assisted living complex in the borough.

After discussion at a July 20 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, P&Z members endorsed the construction of Church Hill Village, proposed for a vacant sloping site at the eastern corner of Church Hill Road and The Boulevard.

The Church Hill Village proposal has received a wetlands/watercourses protection approval from the local Land Use Agency staff.

Local officials have said that an assisted living complex would generate significantly less traffic than other possible commercial uses of the property. In the past, a developer had proposed constructing a medical office complex at the site, a use that would have generated much more daily traffic.

According to the Church Hill Village plans, the complex would contain eight "neighborhoods," each of which would house elderly residents requiring personal care from staff members. Two of those neighborhoods would have specialized care for residents with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

The complex would have buildings that enclose 66,960 square feet of space. Most buildings would be one-story tall. The site would hold 40 vehicle parking spaces. The property would have separate entry-exit driveways. The Boulevard driveway would be located about 150 feet north of The Boulevard's intersection Church Hill Road; the Church Hill Road driveway would be situated 410 feet east of the intersection of Church Hill Road and The Boulevard.

If approved, the project would be completed and fully occupied with assisted-living residents by the end of 2019, according to the developer.

As defined by the borough zoning regulations, "assisted living" refers to an elderly housing complex in which a variety of basic services are provided, such as nursing care and assistance with the activities of daily living.