Aging in Place: County Planning Commission Considers an Option for the Elderly

At a regular monthly meeting on August 12, the County Planning Commission, amid two applications for short-term rentals and one for private camping use, turned its attention to a proposed text amendment that would define and regulate rural independent living communities for the elderly. The applicant, Shelly Cook, known for her thoughtful contributions to the community as a business owner, shared with the commissioners her vision for providing senior citizens with an agricultural setting in which to enjoy the latter chapter of their lives. The proposed definition, in part, reads as follows: “A residential development designed and intended to provide independent living accommodations for older persons within a rural setting that preserves open space, agricultural character, and natural resources.”

The County Planning Commission met for a regular meeting on August 12. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh

With the assistance of artificial intelligence models that she is not currently at liberty to disclose, Cook and her team are reimagining how to keep the aging safe while giving them maximum independence to enjoy their retirement in a meaningful way. Foreseeably working in collaboration with St. Anne’s Vineyard Villas, this enterprise seeks to keep the aged deeply connected to the earth, flying in the face of the notion that one reaches a certain age and retreats to an enclosure. It would surround them with all the assistance they need to live in color rather than black and white. Instead of retiring to a box where one reflects morbidly on what little of his life he can remember, this is an opportunity to go out in style, surrounded by others doing the same. Thus, the retirement years would not be something to dread but to look forward to.

Planning Director Kelly Wahl and County Attorney Jason Ham.

John Jenkins addressed the commission during public presentations about fiscal responsibility.

Local business owner Shelly Cook addressed the commission as the applicant during a public hearing for a text amendment that would define and regulate rural independent living communities for the elderly.

The property Cook owns, where this development could take place, is uniquely suited, with all the infrastructure it needs to perfectly accommodate the operation. However, the amendment could set a precedent for the rest of the county, allowing something within parameters that others aspiring to this use lack the infrastructure to negotiate satisfactorily. Thus, the commissioners tabled the item, allowing time for research into other Virginia counties that have undertaken this enterprise with success. It would be a tragedy for such a worthy operation to never get off the ground, when it would be so perfectly suited to this one place, a dream never realized simply because not everyone can do it. Hopefully, the commissioners will find the information they need to accommodate this exceptional case without setting a dangerous precedent.