Developer Aiming for 2015 Opening for Altadena Senior Housing Project

The head of the company responsible for the development of a senior housing project at 2212 N. El Molino Avenue told the Altadena Town Council that the company is aiming to open the project in 2015.

Martha Tamburrano, the president of Episcopal Communities & Services, noted that the time table of the project was slowed down because of the weak housing market that developed starting in 2007.  Declining home values and the economic slowdown also led the company to scale back the size of the project from 278 units to 186.

The company .  At that point the company had sold rights to 50 of its 186 units - at Tuesday's meeting, Tamburrano said the company has now sold 70.  

The project is site of the now-defunct William A. Scripps Home for Aged People, which closed in 2007.

The property has been vacant since that closure.  That has led to occasional problems with some local residents who have raised issues about  and .  

The original discussions on the future of the lot included concerns about losing the Scripps home as well as worries about future construction and other issues pertaining to the new project.

Since the closure of the Scripps home, some residents were relocated to Episcopal's Alhambra home.  That home has since been closed, Tamburrano said Tuesday, which has resulted in those residents being moved a second time to other area facilities.

Tamburrano said that there are still residents who want to return to Altadena when the new facility opens.  Episcopal has assumed all their current housing costs and will pay for them to be housed at the new Altadena home when it opens, she said.

The company also plans to preserve and restore a cottage from the original Scripps home that is still standing on the property, Tamburrano said.  The building will be used to house visitors.