Personal care home eyed for Unity passes first step in township approval

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A proposed personal care home in Unity passed the first step toward development Thursday as the township supervisors granted a conditional use request for the facility.

Developer Policastro Properties is planning to construct two personal care buildings, connected by an enclosed breezeway, on a 5-acre parcel located behind the Quality Mould factory at 197 Arnold Palmer Drive, according to information submitted to the township planning commission.

The area is part of the Eastpointe Technology Park development.

The planning commission recommended approving the care home as a conditional use in the township's regional commercial district.

"It's going to be a relatively large facility," township solicitor Gary Falatovich said of the proposed complex. "One building is related to individuals who would be appropriate for more independent-style living and the other is a memory loss center.

"It will still have to go through the township planning process."

According to the developer's conditional use application, the two buildings would have a combined footprint of more than 30,000 square feet and would be reached by a new driveway that would extend from an existing private drive that also provides access to Quality Mould.

The parking lot would have room for 30 spaces, exceeding the township's parking requirement for the care home's projected capacity of 42 beds and a peak of 12 employees.

Rental registration required

The supervisors approved an ordinance that will require registration of certain residential rental units with the township.

Falatovich said the new requirements apply to such properties as student rentals and Airbnb units. He said it also would apply to properties rented to four or more people who aren't related by blood or marriage.

"It provides the township some indication where these particular units are and allows the township to license them and permit them," he said. "It's meant to ensure they’re being safely occupied and the units are safe for public occupancy, and to ensure the protection of abutting property owners."

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .

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