Delays Nearly Over for Senior Home Project

More than two years after winning approval to build an upscale assisted-living center for senior citizens, the project should finally get underway this year, the developer said.

The developer had to get an extension on his conditional-use permit and battle with neighbors of the site in the 1500 block of Taft Avenue.

Property owners said they objected to the home, a two-story building with 48 units, because it would increase traffic and noise in the area.

They also told City Council members last week that they feared the company, Southern California Presbyterian Homes, might sell the property because it has been rezoned for that type of use.

“There are too many questions unanswered, and the neighborhood is apprehensive,” said Vera Mater, a resident who opposed the project.

Robert D. Mickelson, a consultant for the company, said the concerns are unfounded.

“We put a private deed restriction on this property so it can only be used for seniors, and we paid for a traffic study of the area,” he said.

Council members voted unanimously to extend the permits for the project, which should be built within a year.