Benefis Health System has submitted a conditional use permit application for a proposed retirement home.
The property at 3020 18th Ave. S. is currently zoned R-2 single-family medium density and Benefis is seeking the CUP to use an existing building and construct additional buildings to accommodate 48 residents and 52 full- and part-time staff on the 13.14-acre site.
The project was on the May 18 Neighborhood Council 5 agenda and tentatively scheduled to go before the planning board on June 23 and City Commissioners on Aug. 18.
City Commission approves Benefis’ senior living subdivision [2025]
The full city staff report on the project is not yet complete, but it will be available for the planning board meeting. It will cover utilities and traffic, along with other project details, as is standard for projects in the city’s development process.
The proposed Benefis Village will “provide residents with an alternative to traditional residential facilities for those diagnosed with dementia and dementia related diseases by replacing the institutional setting with a secure, simulated village campus,” according to the project narrative submitted to the city. “The Village will emphasize self-sufficiency, social interactions and connections and normalized day-to-day habits through the campus design but offer residents the security they need as patients living with memory challenges.”
Village residents will be able to visit the library or walk to the cafe.
“These facilities are designed to look like typical storefronts open to the public, but they are not typical stores. These amenity spaces are only available to residents, and their employees will be strictly Benefis Village staff. The amenities will also not seek payment for individual transactions the way typical retail stores would; instead, they exist purely for the ongoing life enrichment of the residents,” according to Benefis.
City planning board OK’s Benefis senior living subdivision [2025]
The Village will be a state-licensed assisted living facility and staffed 24-hours a day.
Benefis plans to use existing convent buildings from the former Poor Clares convent and construct new buildings with a “cohesive architectural aesthetic.”
Benefis is proposing to continue using the property as a group living environment on a portion of the parcel and “care will be taken to consider properties in the immediate vicinity,” according to the project narrative submitted to the city.
“The goal of the design is to replicate a traditional residential environment as closely as possible. Each residential building is designed to enhance a communal lifestyle while at the same time provide a safe and secure environment for residents and staff. The residential buildings are expected to consist of multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen facilities and communal living space. These buildings will look, feel and operate like other homes in Great Falls and will complement the surrounding neighborhood,” according to Benefis’ project narrative.
Since the property has already been developed and used for group living, utilities and access roads are already in place. The site is accessible by Monastery Drive, an existing city road, and won’t require modification of existing roads, according to Benefis. Residents won’t bring vehicles and visitors or deliveries will use Monastery Drive.
Poor Clares was operating on the property before Benefis purchased it in 2025.
New construction must be reviewed and permitted by the city.
Benefis staff and a fence around the perimeter will prevent residents from inadvertently wandering into the neighborhood, according to the project narrative.
The property is within the medical district and just south of another large parcel owned by Benefis so future residents will be in close proximity to existing medical care.
