The North Hill senior living community off Central Avenue is seeking town approval to build a 44-unit expansion of its campus to help address its years-long waiting list, according to documents filed with the Planning Board.
Joe Frias, CEO of the 600-resident nonprofit facility, appeared before the Planning Board at its Jan. 6 meeting because building the new four-story addition will require a zoning amendment.
“Over the course of the next 25 years, as the baby boomers continue to age and they need more housing, there’s not enough inventory out there,” Frias said last month. “We currently at North Hill have just about a three-to-four-year waitlist just to get into the door.”
The expansion would require a zoning amendment and modifications to parking requirements, according to documents filed with the town. North Hill is Needham’s only “full continuum-of-care” provider — a facility that offers both long-term senior care and independent living, Frias said.
“We’ve identified some opportunities for growth and continue to meet the demand,” he said.
North Hill plans to build the expansion on the southwest corner of its property.
The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the zoning amendment at its Feb. 24 meeting. The fate of the zoning will ultimately be decided at Town Meeting in May.
Patricia Cusack, director of sales and marketing at North Hill, said it is too soon to answer detailed questions about the expansion, including building designs, costs and the impact of construction.
Steve Volante, co-owner of Volante Farms adjacent to North Hill, said the senior living facility has been a great neighbor.
“It does seem like (North Hill) has been consistently growing over the past decade, so I’m not surprised in any way that they’re continuing that expansion,” he said.
Several North Hill residents also support the expansion.
“I think it’s a good idea. We need more housing, and it would be financially useful for North Hill,” said Anne Weaver, a North Hill resident.
North Hill’s creation followed years of zoning battles. In 1979, Town Meeting opposed zoning changes that would have allowed 59 acres to be converted from single-family homes to a mixed-use development. The original plan for apartments failed miserably.
Babson College later proposed building 375 units for people 55 and older. That project, now North Hill, passed the Planning Board with one dissenting member and narrowly survived a Needham Town Meeting vote, despite pushback by residents concerned about traffic and other issues.
There are traffic concerns about the expansion, too.
“I can’t imagine any more (traffic),” said Revel Cotsford, a Medway resident who frequently drives to Needham to shop at Volante Farms.
Volante said he welcomes more cars.
“Any increase in traffic in the sense of cars passing through, and any increase in additional residents in the area … that’s a good thing for us,” he said.
Some North Hill residents, including Leila Kern, aren’t worried about construction noise.
“Will it disrupt us a little bit? Of course it will,” Kern said, “but you’ve got to take a little bit of the pain to get the gain.”
This story is part of a partnership between the Needham Observer and the Boston University Department of Journalism.