On a night where the City of Great Bend announced the appointment of Kendal Francis as next City Administrator, the majority of the packed crowd Monday at City Hall was there to discuss a rezoning request.

Scott Reddig requested rezoning the real estate located southwest of the City from R-M (multi-family residential) to LM-SC (light manufacturing – service commercial). The Great Bend City Council approved the rezoning recommendation from the Planning Commission for the purpose of building a nursing home. Now rezoned, Reddig plans to sell 10 acres of land to Sunporch, a not for profit organization that aims to improve the quality of life for elders in rural communities.

Mark Mingenback serves as Vice President for Sunporch’s management team.

Mark Mingenback Audio

The continuing care retirement community program would consist of a nursing home, assisted-living apartment complex, and an independent senior living apartment complex. The $12 million project would employee 50 to 70 people. The facility would be located on Patton Road, near the USD 428 District Education Center. Along with the acreage for the nursing home, there are about 30 extra acres of Reddig’s land that will be rezoned to LM-SC.

Mark Calcara, an attorney with Watkins Calcara, represented several residents in the Anchor Way Subdivision. Calcara says the chief concern with the residents is what else might be developed in the area of their homes now that the land is designated commercial.

Mark Calcara Audio

Sunporch recently broke ground on a $7 million nursing home in Smith Center. Mingenback says the facility will house private-pay and Medicaid-qualified individuals. The assisted-living and independent-living apartment complexes would each contain 12 units. There would also be four “Green Houses” that would consist of 10 elders in each building. The Green House creates homes for elders with private rooms but shared cooking and gathering areas.