Traffic Improvements
The project will result in the installation of a new traffic light at the intersection of Mayer Drive and State Route 9W. This will provide a significant public safety benefit to the residents of the Hudson Hills neighborhood and the surrounding community as well as all those residents in the Town that regularly utilize Route 9W. The new traffic light will greatly improve current traffic movements in this location. The new traffic signal can operate as a couplet with the existing traffic signal on State Route 9W and Argent Drive.
In addition, the project proposes to widen State Route 9W to allow a turning lane so that vehicles turning into the Assisted Living Facility or Primary Care with medical offices will not create a dangerous situation, or hold up northbound traffic. Thus, the current level of traffic service in the area around Mayer Drive will drastically improve. More importantly, the new traffic signal and turning lane will save lives!
Our traffic consultant has worked closely with NYSDOT to coordinate a study on the timing of the lights along this stretch of US 9W which will further improve the driving experience along Route 9W as coordination of the existing and new traffic lights will improve the flow of traffic.
Better Quality of Life
It is well documented that the residents of Life Plan Communities reported more physical activity, increased personal connections, higher frequency of volunteering, more optimism, greater life purpose, less loneliness and more positive perceptions of aging. More importantly, Life Plan Community residents self-reported more healthy behaviors, better health, fewer chronic conditions, better mood, better memory and greater satisfaction with life. This project will enhance the quality of life for the Town’s large, aging, “baby-boomer” generation by not only providing affordable, long term housing needs; but also, offering numerous recreational and health related amenities.
Fulfilling an Unmet Need
The Life Plan Community and Assisted Living Facility will satisfy a significant unmet need for the kind of services to be provided by the proposed project. Demographic research reveals that there are 46,625 seniors, 65 years of age and older, residing within the project’s market area. In this same area, there are 15 facilities with a total of 1,108 beds. Assuming a double occupancy 50% of the, at most, the approximately 212 Life Plan Community housing units, the result will be a total of about 318 Life Plan Community residents. When the approximately 125 Assisted Living Facility beds are added, there will be around 442 beds in The Village in the Hudson Valley. When added to the existing 1,108 beds, there would be a total supply of 1,551 beds in the project’s market area. All these beds constitute only about 3.4% of the existing demand.
Therefore, there will still be a significant unmet need for approximately 96.6% of the existing seniors residing within the market area.
Economic Benefits
Construction of the project, which is estimated to take 3-4 years, will create approximately 60- 100 construction jobs during that time. When complete, about 148 new full-time jobs will need to be filled. These jobs include, but are not limited to, physicians, health care managers, nurses, technicians, care-workers, maintenance workers and general office administration. It is estimated that the Project’ s full-time jobs will bring roughly $5.9 million in annual wages to the Town. In addition to the direct job growth, the project will also spur economic growth for the local neighborhood businesses in the area.
Increased Tax Ratables
The Town Assessor has preliminarily indicated that upon completion the entire project will generate approximately $1.5 million per year in tax revenue. All these potential ratables come with minimal burden on the community. There will be no school aged children associated with the project, thus no increase in school enrollment. All the proposed Life Plan Community housing units and beds associated with the Assisted Living Facility will be accessed via internal private roads maintained by the developer. In addition, given all the on-site recreational amenities offered to the seniors, there will be little to no impact on the Town’s current recreation facilities. Finally, the project will not negatively impact local fire, police or ambulance services since the Primary Care Facility will have its own ambulance and medic team on call 24/7.
Preservation of Open Space
The project will preserve areas as open space, create a buffer between it and the residential homes within Hudson Hills Subdivision and provide extensive landscaping to mitigate the project as much as possible.