CERTUS Senior Living plans new facility on Conroy Windermere Road

ORANGE COUNTY A 5.42-acre parcel of land on Conroy Windermere Road is in the process of being amended from low-density residential to planned development - commercial to accommodate the construction of an assisted-living facility.

In June, CERTUS Senior Living filed an application with the Board of County Commissioners with hopes of eventually building a facility at 7865 and 7753 Conroy Windermere Road, located just west of the Conroy Windermere Road and South Hiawassee Road intersection.

“Clearly, there is a need in that area of Orange County,” said Samantha Hollister, president of CERTUS Senior Management.

A community meeting regarding the amendment was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 13, but was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma.

According to Orange County documents, the development would include a 46,000 square-foot assisted-living facility with 64 beds.

If the amendment and rezoning process goes smoothly, Hollister said her company expects to start construction in early summer 2018 and open in spring 2019. The construction would cost an estimated $10 to $12 million.

The assisted-living facility’s focus would be serving those with dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease.

“Our memory care program is very focused on what our resident’s individual abilities are,” Hollister said. “It’s all about mapping their day in a way that will provide them with success and fulfillment.”

Already, CERTUS has two assisted-living facilities in the Central Florida area that are set to open in the next six to nine months. 

One aspect all CERTUS facilities have in common is how the indoor space is configured. The private suites are grouped into sections to give the facility a neighborhood-like feel. The proposed location on Conroy Windermere Road will include two neighborhoods that connect at an indoor town center.

“Our entire community will be very homelike,” Hollister said.

The county plans to reschedule the cancelled community meeting for sometime in early October. Following that meeting, the amendment will go through two public hearings - one at the Orange County Local Planning Agency meeting on Oct. 19, and a second at the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Nov. 14.