Second Assisted Living Facility Considers A Development In Southampton Town

Jul 12, 2017 10:12 AM

A second assisted living facility has expressed interest in expanding to Southampton Town amid a push by the Town Board to permit such developments.

Maplewood Senior Living—a Westport, Connecticut-based senior living facility—recently threw its hat in the ring to potentially expand to the East End, as the town continues to tweak draft legislation that would allow assisted living facilities.

The legislation, as it is currently drafted, states that developers who build such facilities will need at least 3 acres of land, with no more than 20 beds per acre. Also, each assisted living complex would be capped at 90 beds.

Tom Gaston, Maplewood’s executive vice president of acquisitions and development, told the Southampton Town Board on Tuesday that the for-profit organization, which has 14 properties in four states, would like to help the town work on the legislation to address its need for assisted living.

“We’d love to be part of the flagship product out here,” Mr. Gaston said. “It’s an incredible location. It’s well needed—there really is nothing out here. It’s unfair for seniors to have to move anywhere, especially at the end of their life.”

The idea of Maplewood expanding to the South Fork had come from Dan Gasby, a part-time Sag Harbor resident since 1993 who is known for his collaborations with his wife, B. Smith, a restaurateur, model, author and television host.

Together, the pair wrote the book “Before I Forget,” which detailed the unfolding story of Ms. Smith’s 2013 diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. As he took care of his wife while living on the East End, Mr. Smith said, he soon realized there was a vacuum in the town where care was needed.

“Each and every one of you—whether you’re in high school or you’re an adult—you’re what we call TAB—temporarily able-bodied,” he said to attendees of a July 11 public hearing on the draft legislation. “Sooner or later … you may come into a situation where you will need help from others.”

Earlier this month, officials from Peconic Landing, the North Fork retirement community, expressed interest in building a new facility in Southampton Town as well, although Robert J. Syron, president and CEO of Peconic Landing, emphasized that the not-for-profit was still in very early discussions and that high land prices would be a factor in any decision.

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said on Tuesday that he would like to discuss details of the legislation with both Maplewood and Peconic Landing officials to make sure it would make it feasible for them to bring assisted living facilities to the town.

Although it has not officially opened, The Villa at Westhampton will soon house its own two-story assisted living facility, with 69 rooms and between 80 and 100 beds. According to Town Planning and Development administrator Kyle Collins, that facility was approved through special exception zoning, a tool only available in certain locations in the town.