SOUTH PORTLAND – On Tuesday, Dec. 9, the South Portland Planning Board will get its first look at a request for a zoning change to accommodate a proposed congregate care facility on Executive Drive, located off Running Hill Road.

The zone change would cover a nearly 10-acre site on which the developer, Cameron General Contractors, would like to build 130 units of congregate housing with associated amenities, including exercise facilities, a common dining area and cinema.

Webster’s Dictionary defines congregate housing as “a type of housing in which each individual or family has a private bedroom or living quarters but shares with other residents a common dining room, recreational room or other facilities.”

This housing is generally built for seniors who can live independently and who do not require intensive health care. According to its website, this would be the first such facility in Maine for Cameron General Contractors.

It has several such congregate housing facilities in Nebraska, Texas and Tennessee, and at least one similar development in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, among other states.

According to the materials submitted to the Department for Planning & Development, the estimated cost of the project in South Portland would be $30 million, including the purchase of the land and construction costs.

The congregate care facility would be three stories tall and would be approximately 180,000 square feet in size, according to the materials provided. A zone change is needed because the current zoning doesn’t allow for residential units.

Under the requested zone change, the facility would require a special exception permit, according to the materials provided to the planning department.

The proposed site, located in the Running Hill Executive Office Park, is undeveloped and the materials submitted by the developer state that “the proposed use should have minimal negative impacts and the congregate care units should be compatible with the developed neighborhood.”

In support of its zone change request, the developer also argues that South Portland’s comprehensive plan calls for “enhancing The Maine Mall area as the state’s premier retail destination, while encouraging further diversification of uses in that area.”

Under the city’s rules, a zone change request requires a positive recommendation from the Planning Board and the approval of the City Council.

Next week’s meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

– Kate Irish Collins