🔒Duncaster, CEO Papa see expansion plans halted by court appeal as senior-living facility marks 40th year

For Bloomfield-based retirement community Duncaster and its CEO Kelly Smith Papa, 2024 has been a year of both celebration and frustration.

The celebration marked the 40th anniversary of the community, located on Loeffler Road, that is home to more than 300 residents.

The frustration arose after a proposed expansion of its campus was approved in late June by a 4-3 vote of the Town Plan and Zoning Commission, only to be abruptly halted 27 days later after eight neighboring homeowners filed an appeal in Hartford Superior Court.

Duncaster, a not-for-profit organization that reported a nearly $100,000 surplus on $31 million in revenue in 2022, according to its 990 tax form, has successfully undertaken several expansions in the past. The latest proposal — to build 60 apartments, 32 cottages and related facilities on former farmland adjacent to its existing campus — required the commission to approve an amendment to a master plan and a special permit.

“It was approved on June 27, my father’s birthday,” Papa said.

Duncaster officials, she said, had made it a point to reach out to the neighbors in an effort to address their concerns well before the commission voted on the project.

“We had the neighbors out in November and January; they came to Duncaster to learn about the project,” she said. “We were methodical about including everybody.”

The neighbors also received updates “throughout the process,” she added.

Despite those efforts, homeowners living directly across the street filed an administrative appeal of the approval, naming the commission, Duncaster Inc. and The Duncaster Foundation Inc. as defendants.

The appeal claims the approval “did not comply with zoning regulations,” was illegal under state law, and that the application was inconsistent with the Bloomfield Plan of Conservation and Development.

Both sides participated in a court-ordered mediation program in September, but on Nov. 4, the plaintiffs filed a motion that in part stated the mediation “did not result in a settlement.”

Despite the frustrations of the court case, Papa maintains a positive outlook.

“It’s been a great year of thinking about the people years ago who envisioned Duncaster,” she said. “And now we have a great responsibility to envision the next 40 years of our success.”

Addressing a need

The year began with optimism for the expansion project, a main priority for Papa, who has led Duncaster since 2021.

The organization, which was founded in 1984, is a “life plan community,” providing housing and health services at every level of need for older adults. In addition to providing retirement homes, it provides assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care services.

As Connecticut’s population ages, the demand for Duncaster’s services is in high demand and that’s what drove the effort to expand, Papa said.

“Our census is strong,” she said. “In total, there’s 187 independent living apartments here, and they are 92.5% full. Our waiting list is strong.”

That matches the national trend. According to a report released in October by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care, the availability of senior housing communities across the U.S. continues to tighten as more adults move in, but construction of new properties slows.

The senior housing occupancy rate increased 0.7 percentage points — from 85.8% in the second quarter of 2024 to 86.5% in the third quarter, the report said.

Despite the increased demand, growth in new senior housing is “at one of the lowest levels in recent history,” the report states.

Duncaster’s residents were attracted to the area and the communal nature of the facility, Papa said.

“This is an opportunity to give them a chance to relinquish the pressures of a house and the shovel and the leaves,” she said. “The people who founded Duncaster, that was exactly their plan.”

She also believes expanding this type of community is in the town’s best interest.

“I think having more homes for older adults in Bloomfield would help the tax situation so beautifully,” she said. “They’re not using the schools. They’re eating in the restaurants, they’re shopping at the stores. They’re adding value. They’re volunteering and donating, and not taking. So, it’s a win-win, I think, for the town.”

‘Town hall was packed’

The project, which will be financed primarily through bonding, was expected to break ground in late 2024. Phase one was to include 30 new apartments, while phase two would add 30 more apartments and 32 cottages.

Combined, that’s 92 new living units for up to 150 new residents. Papa said Duncaster has more than 100 charter members who have “already signed up to move into the expansion.”

Residents pay an entrance fee, ranging from $100,000 to $1 million, that covers the cost of infrastructure and living space. Monthly fees cover the rest, including utilities, housekeeping, food, fitness and, if necessary, nursing care.

The facility employs about 300 people; the expansion will add about 50 more.

Enthusiasm for the expansion is high among Duncaster residents, a large number of whom attended the town meetings in person, Papa said.

“The town hall was packed during the Town Planning and Zoning meetings,” she said. “We got a few comments about that. Somebody said, ‘Why did she bring so many people?’ And I turned and said, ‘I didn’t bring them. They’re adults, … they live here and they’re interested in this topic, and that’s why they’re here.’”

Residents also defended the project by writing letters to the editor of the local weekly newspaper.

‘Keep going’

Meantime, renovations to the existing campus will be done regardless of whether the expansion moves forward.

The main building will get a new cultural arts center auditorium, updates to dining facilities and expanded fitness spaces.

“The dining room is really the heart of Duncaster,” Papa said. “It’s where everybody comes together and spends time together. So, we need to refresh our dining room.”

A capital campaign to raise $20 million for the renovations kicked off during the facility’s 40th anniversary gala, which was held June 13 at The Riverview banquet hall in Simsbury.

While the campaign to date has raised only about $100,000, Papa said she believes the target amount can be reached.

“I do think it’s achievable with some wonderful donors,” she said. “The areas that we are looking to renew and refresh are the places that are so important to the people who live here and the families who had people who lived here in the past. So, we’re looking forward to ramping that up in the new year.”

The gala was just one part of the activities included in celebrating Duncaster’s four decades, Papa said, citing a “variety of parades and parties, you name it, we did it.”

That kept up the enthusiasm, despite the setback for the expansion project, Papa said.

She added that a longtime resident, a retired engineer, offered her some advice about the public approval process for the expansion.

“Someone who had experience with the (planning and zoning commission) told me, ‘Everybody’s going to hate it, but three years later they’re gonna love it. Keep going,’” Papa said.