A new proposal from downtown Madison retirement community Capitol Lakes would build almost 50 new apartments just blocks away from Capitol Square, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. The plans call for the replacement of a three-story, 44-unit assisted living facility at 345 W. Main St. with a four-story, 49-unit independent senior living building.
Capitol Lakes also plans to convert an unoccupied floor of its nearby nursing home into 30 assisted living units in advance of the redevelopment. The rest of that facility would continue to operate normally.
Capitol Lakes cited rising demand for independent senior housing and a decline for nursing home services across its four-building campus. Capitol Lakes’ independent living facilities are currently full, and waiting periods — especially for two-bedroom apartments — can be long. The vast majority of units in the new building will have two bedrooms.
Madison’s Plan Commission gave the green light to the apartment plans this week, and they will now go before the City Council. In the meantime, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services will have to approve the nursing home renovation in accordance with state regulations for assisted living facilities.
