City planning board OK’s Benefis senior living subdivision
The city planning board unanimously voted during their May 13 meeting to recommend approval of plans for Sanavita Estates, a senior living subdivision by Benefis Health System.
The project next goes to the City Commission for review.
There was no public comment on the project during the planning board meeting.
The property is located at 3015 18th Ave. S. and is about 42.91 acres.
Tory Mills, board chair, said it was a “positive development for an otherwise empty field” with the potential to open up homes for new families wanting to move to Great Falls.
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Joe McMillen, a recently appointed planning board member, said it’s a “no brainer.”
Benefis is requesting to replace the existing Grandview PUD zoning that was approved in 2011 and replace it with Sanavita Estates PUD.
The proposal includes building Sanavita Estates Independent Living with a 64-unit apartment building and 28-single family villas. The apartment building includes a wine bar, ice cream parlor and wellness/fitness center, according to the application.
Lonnie Hill, deputy planning director, said that there’s been development in the area since the original 2011 PUD approval including the medical schools and supporting apartment complex.
The existing Grandview doesn’t take up the entire Benefis-owned property and the proposed apartments and villas were originally planned to take up the entire remainder of the property, Hill said.
The amended plan shifts Sandavita up, increasing density and leaving Lot 4 vacant for future development, he said.
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The project includes an open space buffer between 31st Street South and the existing Mountain View Terrace subdivision.
As part of the change, Benefis is requesting to divide the existing parcel that it owns into four separate lots:
- Zone 1 will include the existing Grandview development and will retain the standards approved as part of the original Grandview PUD zoning approved in 2011. No changes are proposed to this zone.
- Zone 2 includes Lots 2 for the apartments and villas and Lot 3 as open space.
- Zone 3 includes Lot 4, which will be development-restricted until a future proposal is submitted. Any future development upon Lot 4 constitutes as a major change and an amendment of the PUD will be required. A PUB amendment must go back through the city process and receive City Commission approval.
The apartment building and villas will be accessible from private drives, maintained by Benefis, and an off-street surface parking lot will be provided for the apartment building.
The villas will have a single-car garage that allows another car to be stacked within the driveway for a total of two off-street parking spaces, according to the project application.
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The proposed private drives serving the villas are proposed as 20 feet in width, which will not allow for on-street parking in order to maintain the required width for emergency access.
Under city code, a PUD is a special type of zoning district that is proposed by the developer to account for a desired mix of uses. Each district is unique and therefore has its own set of development standards which are documented in the approval.
For Santavita, Benefis stated the code deviations are needed to help achieve the goal of providing high-quality housing for seniors with a thoughtfully designed community allowing an active lifestyle while providing an opportunity to live in one place as long as possible.
The property’s underlying zoning district is Public Lands and Institutional.
The Santavita proposal includes dedication of two rights-of-way to the city and construction as public streets.
The project will extend 18th Avenue South, which currently terminates in a roundabout, through to the intersection of the proposed 31st Street South, which will run north from the intersection at 18th to the northern property line.
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That will allow 31st to support the future north-south connection to 32nd Street South, which is noted in the city’s medical district master plan, linking the district with the greater transportation network, connecting with neighborhoods to the east and adding another route to the traffic light at 32nd and 10th Avenue South, according to the city staff report.
The project can’t connect the street all the way to 322nd yes since there’s a nursing home with a private driveway and another property to the north blocking that full through public right of way access currently, according to Andrew Finch, city transportation planner.
He said the city would love better connectivity in the future so the best thing they can do for now is set future decision makers up for success.
The medical district is currently a barrier to east-west movements, so this project allows some opportunity to provide more functionality, Finch said.
As part of the project, Benefis will be required to extend public water and sewer mains throughout the development and connect to the existing mains, plus add fire hydrants.
All public water and sewer improvements will be owned and maintained by the city once complete.
Access to the development will be from Indigo Lane, a private drive, and 18th Avenue South, a public street.
Boulevard improvements, including curbing, sidewalks and landscaping will be maintained by Benefis.
As part of the original 2011 PUD, Benefis also agreed to complete future street improvements to 30th Street South when Lot 4 is developed and as part of the those improvements, Benefis will install oversized utilities with the city reimbursing for up to 50 percent of the associated utility costs, according to the staff report.
Benefis conducted a traffic impact study, as required by the city, and a new or revised study will likely be required when Lot 4 is developed, according to staff.
The full buildout of Santavita is projected to generate a total of 328 gross average weekday trips with 20, six entering and 14 exiting, during the morning peak hour, and 24 trips, 14 entering and 10 existing, during the afternoon peak hour, according to the traffic study.
The study assumes that 60 percent of traffic northbound from along 29th Street South and 40 percent of traffic westbound along 18th Avenue South.
City staff determined the Santavita traffic is minimal and should have no negative impact on the existing transportation network.
The traffic study recommends installation of a stop sign at Indigo and 29th Street South, and the elimination of the roundabout at 18th Avenue South. Staff concurs.
Benefis will also build a pedestrian connection along the south side of Indigo Lane and the intersection of 29th Street South, as well as a bicycle/pedestrian path at the northern end of the property to connect the existing portions of the path, according to staff.
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The nearest Great Falls Transit bus route is within about a half-mile at 29th Street South and 15th Avenue South, which is walkable to most riders as long as there are pedestrian paths. Transit also provides on-call paratransit services.
City staff is recommending approval and has determined the project supports the city’s 2013 growth policy through higher density development and providing needed senior housing. The project also meets goals listed in the city’s 2017 medical district plan.
Neighborhood Council 5 reviewed the project during its March 21 meeting and shared concerns about dust control during active construction, storm drainage leaving the site, traffic speeds along 29th Street South and off-street parking for the development.
Hill said that the complaints over construction dust during the original Grandview were part of what prompted the city’s current dust control plans process.
A neighbor also submitted comments after the planning board staff report was posted about noise pollution, proximity of the new 31st Street South to existing homes and questions on who the development would serve, Hill said.
Staff said dust control will be addressed through the city’s building permit process and is included as a condition of approval for the project and Benefis provided preliminary civil engineering designs outlining the proposed stormwater management.
The property is already in the city and served by existing public safety agencies.
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“The proposed Sanavita Estates includes a more compact design than the original Grandview implements a more efficient design, allowing the City to add more senior housing upon less land. The proposed project will introduce 92 dwelling units, helping meet local housing needs while expanding the city’s public infrastructure in an efficient manner, and providing needed public roadway connections,” according to the staff report.
Nicole Olmstead out of Cushing Terrell’s Bozeman office spoke on behalf of Benefis during the May 13 city planning board meeting.
She said that following the last census, Benefis conducted a market study analysis and found:
- the population of Great Falls residents over 65 has been increasing from 16 percent in 2010 to 20 percent in 2023
- seniors 75 and older are the primary users of the continuum of care services with a population projected to increase by 13.9 percent through 2029
- households with the head aged 65-74 have increased 12 percent over last the five years and that’s projected to continue increasing over the next five years
- the majority of the heads of households are 75 and older are homeowners and have indicated a willingness to sell their home to help pay for continuum of healthcare services
The Grandview offers assisted living, long-term care and memory care so Benefis is planning Santavita as an option for those seeking different styles of living as they age, Olmstead said.
Sandavita is meant to offer seniors a place to relocate if they aren’t necessarily interested in services at Grandview but want to be closer to medical services or are simply looking to downsize or live in an active senior neighborhood, she said.
The site is currently vacant, underutilized and ideal for this development given its proximity to existing infrastructure and healthcare facilities, Olmstead told the board, providing seniors the option to stay local even if their needs change and potentially attracting more residents to the city for housing and healthcare access.
The private drive is proposed as a narrow street that’s wide enough for emergency access but doesn’t allow for street parking, emphasizing the pedestrian experience, Olmstead said.
*Renderings and site plans from Cushing Terrell as part of Benefis’ application
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