Blighted nursing home torn down to make way for Glendale townhomes

GLENDALE - The former Dove Healthcare nursing home is in the process of being demolished to make way for a 57-unit townhome apartment community at 1633 W. Bender Road.

The four buildings in the apartment complex will have a mix of two one-bedrooms, 44 two-bedrooms and 11 three-bedrooms in a $7.5 million facility that will include a party room, fitness center, on-site management and outdoor play space.

The buildings are slated to be finished in the spring of 2018.

City officials have been eager to see the blighted building redeveloped since it was vacated in 2007. The structure has several broken windows and it has gone several winters without heat.

Redeveloping the former nursing home was complicated by the 40-foot-deep foundation, which developer Michael Klein said would be impractical to dig up. For that reason, the buildings' footprint must fit within the slabs of the existing foundation.

When Klein first presented his architectural renderings to city officials in November 2016, plan commissioners said the long, single-story buildings looked similar to Army barracks or a Motel 6.

Despite their aesthetic concerns, Glendale officials in December 2016 rezoned the property for Klein, allowing him to apply for as much as $1.8 million in assistance through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program.

Architect Jason Korb has since revised his original renderings. Korb broke up the long, continuous roof lines by creating gables for each townhome near Bender Road. The new design gives the appearance of individual townhomes connected to each other.

The revised architectural plans received approval from Glendale's plan commission and common council in February 2017. The city gave final approval to the townhomes in June, when aldermen signed a planned development agreement.

The building's exterior will be composed of brick and high-quality cement. Inside, each unit will have high ceilings, wood floors, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and a washer and dryer.

The two one-bedrooms will rent for $950 per month, the 44 two-bedrooms for $1,350 per month and the 11 three-bedrooms will be discounted through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program.

Klein said his target demographic is young professionals and some empty-nesters.

In addition to the apartments, plans call for a portion of land on the south end of the property to become a parking lot for neighboring David Hobbs Honda.