PLANNING BOARD Nursing home looks to expand

One of the town’s oldest nursing homes is pursuing plans to expand its campus in south Framingham.

Bethany Health Care Center is seeking approval from the Planning Board to construct a 4,600-square-foot addition to its facility at 97 Bethany Road.

The company applied Sept. 28 for a minor site plan review from the board, filings its application under the Dover Amendment, a provision of state law that limits the scope of the board’s review.

The addition will house an activities room, which will “augment programming provided in the existing activities room.”

The facility can currently accommodate about 35 residents. The applicants hope to increase that number to 80 to 100, with a focus on accommodating residents in wheelchairs or walkers, according to paperwork filed with the town.

“The goal for the center is to provide a more home-like, comfortable space to enjoy daily activities with abundant natural light and connection with the surrounding landscape,” the application reads.

More than 50 years old, Bethany Health Care Center is a 169-bed, skilled nursing facility that offers a range of short-term rehab services, as well as a dementia unit.

If approved, the new activities room won’t have any impact on the number of residents or staff at the facility, according to the company’s application to the town.

Jim Argir, executive director for Bethany Health Care, said the concept is still in a preliminary stage.

“We’re not in a position to discuss it yet,” Argir said Monday. “We’re still waiting for our funding. We went before the board just to get approvals, but we’re still waiting for some of our funders so we can actually start this job.”

The Planning Board is expected to resume a public hearing on the project Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Ablondi Room at the Memorial Building.

—Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin.