Seaside considers assisted living facility for Fort Ord parcel.

51: The number of years longtime strength trainer Carl A. Silvani, a 69-year-old resident of Carmel, has lifted weights. Silvani, who just won first place at the National Physique Committee Master Bodybuilding Championships, has 2 percent body fat. Source - www.SeniorVarsity.com, Carl and Joanne Silvani.

Seaside considers assisted living facility for Fort Ord parcel.

By Kera Abraham

Thursday, July 15, 2010

The site of an abandoned Army/Air Force gas station and convenience store could become a home for senior citizens, or a new housing development, on the former Fort Ord.

On Thursday, the Seaside City Council will decide which of the competing proposals represents the best use of the city’s 5-plus-acre “Shopette” parcel at the intersection of Monterey Road and Coe Avenue.

Seasons Management’s proposed “Seaside Senior Living Village” includes an 84,000-square-foot building and eight cottages that would serve up to 100 seniors.

KB Bakewell, the developer of the neighboring Seaside Highlands subdivision – 380 high-end town homes built about a decade ago – is also in the running, with a proposal for a 12-building, 70-unit condo project.

City staff is recommending the Seasons project. The decision came after a panel evaluated both proposals for their compliance with city criteria including design quality, neighborhood impact, community economic impact and the parcel’s “highest and best use.” Seasons’ proposal scored 25 points out of 30; Bakewell’s trailed with 15.

Deputy City Manager Diana Ingersoll says the council’s action will only direct staff to begin discussions that could, with council approval, lead to an exclusive negotiating agreement. “This is just the starting point.”

City planners are painfully aware that an ENA is no sure thing. In late 2006, the city awarded KB Bakewell an ENA to develop a 61-unit housing development and small commercial complex on the Shopette site.

But that agreement timed out on July 1, 2008, putting the site’s redevelopment back at square one.