Responsive Group is a recognized leader in creating and managing senior living environments, a great part of which is achieved by appropriate facility design conducive to providing a higher quality of life to seniors living in long-term care facilities. The Provincial Government’s Long-Term Care Home Design Manual1, outlines the design standards appropriate for long-term care facilities. Chapter 10 of the Manual includes the following guidelines for Reception/Entrance Space and for Receiving/Service Space in Long-Term Care Home facilities:

• Reception/Entrance Space:
  
  
  • A welcoming introduction to the long-term care home.
    
    
  • Located close to an outside, protected vehicle pick-up and drop-off area for residents. 
• Receiving/Service Space:
  
  • Located away from the main entrance and from all other resident and public areas so as not to expose residents and the public to noise, vehicle exhaust and safety hazards.
    
    
  • The receiving service space must be large enough to separately accommodate:
    
    • Garbage storage and pick-up
    • Convenient access to the dietary service space
    • Isolated connection to food preparation areas
    • Temporary storage space
    • Year round receiving of supply deliveries
    • Separate area with floor drains for cleaning and disinfecting service equipment

The proposed site design for the subject facility aims to satisfy these requirements by providing two separate entrances: an all-movement access on the west leg of the intersection of Banwell Road and Palmetto Street; and an all-movement access at the north end of the property, approximately 148 metres from Palmetto Street. Figure 1 (attached) illustrates the proposed Site Plan and the access locations.

The two access points will facilitate the accommodation of separate Reception/Entrance and Receiving/Service spaces in accordance with the Provincial design guidelines.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the site configuration is not amenable to achieving the functional separation with the main access located on the west leg of the intersection of Banwell Road and Palmetto Street.

It is also noted the proposed second access is the only access located along the 175-metre frontage of the subject site on Banwell Road.

1 Long-Term Care Home Design Manual 2015, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care