The new owner of the former Little Sisters of the Poor home in Henrico County is planning a $10 million renovation and expansion that will add 88 new nursing beds. (Jack Jacobs photo)
A year after acquiring the Little Sisters of the Poor home in Henrico County, the investment group that owns the assisted living facility is planning a multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation project.
A projected $10 million is planned to be invested in the facility at 1503 Michaels Road, which provides nursing care, assisted living and independent living. The facility, which is now called August at Richmond, is owned by New Jersey-based firm Portopiccolo Group.
An additional 88 nursing beds are at the heart of the upcoming project, which also includes renovations and new medical facilities and amenities for the campus. The expansion is expected to bring the facility to a total of about 140 beds at a minimum.
Ben Cohen, CEO of the nursing home’s operator August Healthcare, said the vision for the facility moving forward is one with a greater emphasis on skilled nursing care and a decreased emphasis on assisted living and independent living.
The 88 new beds will be long-term nursing care beds and will supplement the facility’s existing 32 beds of that type. Cohen said he feels there’s a gap in the region’s nursing home resources that August intends to fill.
“Just looking around the area, the other homes are not doing what we’re planning on doing,” Cohen said. “We want to take advantage of that and help out with that situation. Richmond is a growing area, and the elderly population is also growing.”
August was still awaiting approval from the state this week to expand the facility’s nursing beds, which it intends to do by transferring beds from other facilities it operates in Virginia. The company hopes to start construction within six months. The project isn’t expected to involve new construction.
The facility’s planned increase of long-term medical care capacity will lead to a decrease in the combined number of assisted living and independent living beds to around 20 to 40 beds in the facility, Cohen said.
Currently the facility has about 90 assisted living and independent living beds. Cohen said those beds are at roughly 50 percent capacity, and the nursing-home beds are full.
August doesn’t plan to move any residents out of the facility due to the project.
“No one will be sent out. Everybody will be able to stay put through construction and post construction,” he said.
The project will also add memory-care and dialysis centers to the facility, as well as a movie theater and expanded gym.
New Jersey-based DIGroupArchitecture is the project architect. Gowanus Group is the general contractor.
August plans to hire 50 to 70 more people as part of the expansion. It currently has about 60 employees at the Henrico facility, which was known as St. Joseph’s Home while owned by the Little Sisters of the Poor.
The Little Sisters of the Poor is a Catholic women’s organization that takes care of elderly poor people.
The campus has a combined 139,000 square feet of facilities across three buildings, according to online Henrico property records.
“There’s more than enough footprint,” Cohen said. “The building is severely underutilized. That’s how it was when we took it over.”
Portopiccolo Group bought the property from the Little Sisters of the Poor for $2.3 million in a deal that was recorded with the county in June 2021. For the first several months under the new ownership, the facility was operated by North Carolina-based Accordius Health.
August took over operation of the Henrico home as well as two other nursing homes in Fairfax County from Accordius in October 2021, Cohen said.
August was founded in September 2021 and is headquartered in Fairfax County. Unlike Accordius Health, August isn’t owned by Portopiccolo Group, spokesman John Collins said.
The new owner of the former Little Sisters of the Poor home in Henrico County is planning a $10 million renovation and expansion that will add 88 new nursing beds. (Jack Jacobs photo)
A year after acquiring the Little Sisters of the Poor home in Henrico County, the investment group that owns the assisted living facility is planning a multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation project.
A projected $10 million is planned to be invested in the facility at 1503 Michaels Road, which provides nursing care, assisted living and independent living. The facility, which is now called August at Richmond, is owned by New Jersey-based firm Portopiccolo Group.
An additional 88 nursing beds are at the heart of the upcoming project, which also includes renovations and new medical facilities and amenities for the campus. The expansion is expected to bring the facility to a total of about 140 beds at a minimum.
Ben Cohen, CEO of the nursing home’s operator August Healthcare, said the vision for the facility moving forward is one with a greater emphasis on skilled nursing care and a decreased emphasis on assisted living and independent living.
The 88 new beds will be long-term nursing care beds and will supplement the facility’s existing 32 beds of that type. Cohen said he feels there’s a gap in the region’s nursing home resources that August intends to fill.
“Just looking around the area, the other homes are not doing what we’re planning on doing,” Cohen said. “We want to take advantage of that and help out with that situation. Richmond is a growing area, and the elderly population is also growing.”
August was still awaiting approval from the state this week to expand the facility’s nursing beds, which it intends to do by transferring beds from other facilities it operates in Virginia. The company hopes to start construction within six months. The project isn’t expected to involve new construction.
The facility’s planned increase of long-term medical care capacity will lead to a decrease in the combined number of assisted living and independent living beds to around 20 to 40 beds in the facility, Cohen said.
Currently the facility has about 90 assisted living and independent living beds. Cohen said those beds are at roughly 50 percent capacity, and the nursing-home beds are full.
August doesn’t plan to move any residents out of the facility due to the project.
“No one will be sent out. Everybody will be able to stay put through construction and post construction,” he said.
The project will also add memory-care and dialysis centers to the facility, as well as a movie theater and expanded gym.
New Jersey-based DIGroupArchitecture is the project architect. Gowanus Group is the general contractor.
August plans to hire 50 to 70 more people as part of the expansion. It currently has about 60 employees at the Henrico facility, which was known as St. Joseph’s Home while owned by the Little Sisters of the Poor.
The Little Sisters of the Poor is a Catholic women’s organization that takes care of elderly poor people.
The campus has a combined 139,000 square feet of facilities across three buildings, according to online Henrico property records.
“There’s more than enough footprint,” Cohen said. “The building is severely underutilized. That’s how it was when we took it over.”
Portopiccolo Group bought the property from the Little Sisters of the Poor for $2.3 million in a deal that was recorded with the county in June 2021. For the first several months under the new ownership, the facility was operated by North Carolina-based Accordius Health.
August took over operation of the Henrico home as well as two other nursing homes in Fairfax County from Accordius in October 2021, Cohen said.
August was founded in September 2021 and is headquartered in Fairfax County. Unlike Accordius Health, August isn’t owned by Portopiccolo Group, spokesman John Collins said.
Which reminds me, why is that road called Michaels Road for one stretch and then Michael Road for another stretch? It’s not a typo. It was intentional. There is a bend in the road where it changes names and a street sign which includes one sign that says Michaels Road and one sign that says Michael Road.
This article sounds very rosy and optimistic.
But further research would show that the Portopiccolo Group is among the worst of the nursing home operators. This is an orthodox Jewish Group with a terrible operating reputation. There is nothing antisemitic about my statement; I’m stating a business fact. Take a look at their web site and do a google search on their CEO Simcha Hyman. Would you place a loved one in one of their facilities, having learned a little more about their operating practices? Buyer beware.
Expanding to increase profit by subjecting the residents to improper care due to low staffing. Stop it, just stop it! Find another way to make money.