White Plains Officials Give Approval for 160-Bed Nursing Home

The developers of a proposed 160-bed skilled nursing facility at the corner of  Church Street and Barker Avenue hope to have a shovel in the ground by the end of next year.

White Plains officials passed a resolution extending the  site plan approval for the White Plains Institute of Rehabilitation and Healthcare following a public hearing held during Monday’s Common Council meeting.

The nursing home is being proposed by White Plains Health Care Properties, a partnership between Lizer Jozefovic and Mark Neuman. Jozefovic and Neumann operate a number of nursing homes, including Skyview Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Croton; the Waterview Hills Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Purdys; and the Salem Hills Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, also located in Purdys.

The Hebrew Hospital Home of Westchester and the Bethel Nursing Home Company would also partner up as operators of the facility.

The current proposal calls for a facility that is a total of about 88,600 square feet and five stories high with 49 on-site parking spaces. The project was estimated to cost $56.6 million, according to a report submitted to the state Health Department.

“We do think it will be a very important addition to the community,” said Janet Geris, the land-use attorney representing the developers. “The skilled nursing beds in the City of White Plains, the need for that is very underserved.”

According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau American Fact Finder, there were about 190,000 residents over the age of 60 living in Westchester County, with about 12,000 of those residents living in White Plains. That population is expected to increase county-wide to 204,910 in 2015, 261,866 in 2030 and 263,132 in 2040, according to estimates by the state Office for the Aging.

The Common Council initially approved a special permit and site plan for a 179 bed, six-story facility with 29 parking spaces in 2011. But developers had to modify their plan after the state Department of Health did not approve the 179 beds listed in the original proposal.

Christopher Chiurri of The Architect Team, the firm representing the project, said his clients have gained all of the approvals needed from the city.

“The plan that we presented to the Common Council now needs to go back to the state health Department for approval,” Chiurri said.

Chiurri said the plan is to begin construction in late 2014 or early 2015 once the project is given the go-ahead by state officials.

Mayor Tom Roach said the project will add to the city’s growth.