A developer with Wisconsin roots plans to soon break ground on a proposed 84-unit assisted-living facility in Rhinelander, with plans to hire up to 80 part-time and full-time employees.

On March 21, the City of Rhinelander’s Planning Commission approved the annexation of a parcel of property currently located in the Town of Pelican for the project. The parcel is located at the intersection of the Hwy. 17 bypass and Eisenhower Parkway on the city’s east side.

According to plans circulated to the members of the committee, First Phoenix Group’s Stoney River facility will have approximately 42 units for assisted living, 18 units of independent living and 24 memory care units, focused on patients living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The $17 million project is slated to break ground in either late spring or early summer.

“The people from First Phoenix are extremely excited about Rhinelander,” said Rhinelander City Council and Planning Commission member Mark Pelletier. “I think this project is going to come very quick.”

First Phoenix Group opened a similar assisted-living facility in 2011 in Marshfield, also named Stoney River. According to information released from the company, within nine months, 50 residents moved into the Marshfield facility. The company held a ground breaking ceremony March 13 for a similar facility to be located in Weston.

“The company’s focus is on communities they consider to be medical hubs,” said Pelletier. “Their research showed that the need for these types of facilities is only going to grow in this area.”

The 78,000-square-foot building will likely be modeled after the Marshfield location, with community areas for eating and socializing and an indoor “main street” including a theater, a laundry area, a fitness center and a barber shop, according to the company’s website. Residents will have their own living space, with a small cooking area and private bathroom.

Construction is expected to take about a year, but Pelletier said that prospective residents have already contacted the company about potential occupancy.

“We have so many people who have bought homes and retired up here,” said Pelletier. “They get to the age where they need some assistance, and I think it is great that we have the option to offer them the chance to continue living in the Northwoods. This is where they really want to be.”

The 80 full- and part-time positions will include administrators, maintenance, housekeeping and kitchen staff, along with medical professionals.

Pelletier views this recent development as another piece to the area near Ministry Saint Mary’s Hospital.

“We are really starting to see that area on the city’s east side grow as a medical area,” Pelletier said, noting that construction just up the bypass on the new Rennes facility is well underway. “Projects like this are only going to mean that other support care, such as clinics, are going to be moving in or expanding their service. Overall it’s a great thing for the community.”

Editor Craig Mandli is available at [email protected].