Aegis Living came before the city’s Design Commission on May 13 to propose building a new 89-unit assisted living community at 7445 S.E. 24th Street, the site of the former Mercer Island Care and Rehabilitation Center.

The existing building will be removed, according to the Design Commission agenda, which should help to preserve topography, vegetation and wetland areas.

The plans indicate that the facility will have memory care and assisted living.

The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) revoked the nursing home license of the Mercer Island Care and Rehabilitation Center in June 2014, after a complaint investigation determined that the center was financially unstable and posed an immediate health and safety risk to residents.

Residents had to be relocated, though nursing home beds were scarce, especially on the Island, according to Reporter archives. A number of facilities have shut down in the last 10 to 15 years, often times to make room for condos or more profitable developments.

Covenant Shores has 43 beds, but they are reserved for residents first.

A representative from the DSHS said at the time that if there was another long-term care facility in that location, it would have to go through another application process, and probably refurbish the old building.

Aegis Living has 14 facilities in the Central Puget Sound area including one in Bellevue. The company is building five new senior living communities in the Seattle area: in Newcastle, West Seattle, Bellevue at Overlake and two locations in Queen Anne.

Ankrom Moisan Architects will design the facility. The images from the Design Commission packet were created by their in-house rendering team.