Open Source: What’s going on at the old Appleseed School lot on Cline Avenue?

Question: “What is going on at the old Appleseed school lot on Cline Avenue?”

MANSFIELD — Work has begun on a planned $24-to-$25 million assisted living apartment complex for senior citizens at 300 Cline Ave.

Earth movers have been on site for more than a week and now additional work has begun, with a fence along the sidewalk on the north side of the road.

Darrin Jolas, managing director of Chicago-based Vermilion Development, said Wednesday construction of the three-story facility should be done in the next 13 to 14 months.

The 95,000 square-foot center will offer 120 apartments, a mixture of studio and one-bedroom units, Jolas said.

The company purchased the vacant 8.9-acre site in January for $300,000, according to the Richland County Auditor’s Office website. It was once home to Appleseed Middle School.

The center, which will be dubbed Silver Birch of Mansfield, will be open to residents age 55 and older, though Jolas said the average age of the company’s Silver Birch residents is mid- to late-70s.

“It’s often someone whose spouse has died and doesn’t have family nearby or just needs a little help with day-to-day living,” Jolas said.

The company has 10 similar locations, including nine in Indiana and one in Illinois.

The Mansfield location will have registered nurses, LPNs and STNAs on site. Each also provides handicapped-accessible transportation for physician visits. In addition, there is a medical suite available for physicians to handle appointments at the facility.

Jolas said the operation will employ about 40 people with an annual payroll of about $2.1 million. He said jobs would include medical, culinary, hospitality, administrative and maintenance positions.

(Below are photos taken recently of construction of a new assisted-living facility being built at 300 Cline Ave. in Mansfield. The story continues below the photos.)

During a meeting with the city’s Planning Commission in November of 2023, Jolas said it would be the company’s first project in Ohio.

“We’ve actually completed a market study of the entire state of Ohio. Mansfield was one of roughly 20 communities that we felt had the right opportunity for a population of aging seniors with limited amount of care for seniors,” Jolas said after the meeting.

A Richland Countywide housing study done in 2023 found a growing need for senior housing. The study found that 20 percent of the county’s population are currently seniors, and another 14 percent are near seniors (age 55–64).

(Below is a virtual tour of a Silver Birch assisted living apartment complex in Evansville, Ind.)

Jolas said a final rental cost had not been determined, but would be based on an average cost of other assisted-living centers in the area.

“We don’t want to be the highest, but we don’t want to be the lowest,” he said. “We will have a private pay rate, but we will also accept Medicaid (as payment) for those who qualify.

“We are trying to be innovative in allowing various forms of reimbursement.”

Jolas said the facility will include “generous common areas,” including a dining room, fitness area, art room, worship space, hair salon and lounges.