Retirement facility in Liberty set for completion in 2018
By Sarah Lehr
LIBERTY
An upcoming facility for the elderly by Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Retirement Services is expected to create 200 local jobs.
Township trustees last month approved a zoning change for the project, which is on Tibbetts-Wick Road.
The venture, which is expected to cost between $26 million and $31 million, is set for completion in spring 2018.
The complex will include between 50 and 80 assisted-living units, a 79-bed nursing home, a rehabilitation facility, a wellness facility and a facility for those living with Alzheimer’s disease.
The 55-acre complex includes close to 44 acres of green space.
Shepherd of the Valley also has locations in Boardman, Howland, Poland and Niles.
“It’s a big deal not only for our community, but also for surrounding communities because all around here people are aging,” said township Trustee Jodi Stoyak of the Liberty location. “It’s going to be a phenomenal facility.”
Rich Limongi, Shepherd of the Valley executive director, declined to comment.
Township Administrator Pat Ungaro said he was hopeful the influx of jobs through Shepherd of the Valley would be a boon for restaurants, stores and hotels in the area.
“It’s a home run,” Ungaro said of the project. “The economy’s doing better, and we’re looking to redevelop the township.”
Ungaro cited a 45-percent tax abatement available to businesses in a “community reinvestment zone” near Belmont Avenue from Tibbetts-Wick to state Route 11 as one incentive for development. The abatements are subject to approval by the Trumbull County commissioners.
Additionally, the Shepherd of the Valley facility is made possible by a new sewer line, which includes 125 connections. Ungaro said the presence of septic tanks rather than sewers in the area had been hampering development.
The county is installing the $2.85 million Belmont Park sanitary-sewer line with the help of about $1 million in grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Ohio Public Works Commission.