By Mary O’KEEFE

Here is a quick update on the Twelve Oaks assisted living redevelopment project. The facility remains closed; however, owners have begun the initial site work to underground the Twelve Oaks utility lines along Sycamore as part of the La Crescenta bike lane road improvements. 

“This is a critical step, especially in light of last year’s fires, as placing utilities underground significantly reduces fire risk and improves overall safety and resiliency for the campus,” stated Robin Gordon, director of Strategic Growth with Episcopal Communities & Services (ECS), which has been affiliated with the property since 2020 and assists with management of the facility. 

As reported in CVW in August 2024, the senior living center was shutting down for a complete reconstruction. This announcement brought up troubling memories for many in the area who were witness to the harsh treatment residents of Twelve Oaks had received in the past by its former management company, the be.group.

At the time the be.group, which was acting as management, seemingly took over as owner and gave residents two months to vacate and find another assisted living facility. At the time a spokesperson from the be.group stated it was too expensive to remodel/renovate Twelve Oaks. It then planned to sell the property to a development company, but that plan was halted by the community and National Charity League of Glendale, which had actually operated Twelve Oaks until it was transferred to the be.group a decade earlier. However, be.group was the management company and not the owner of the property. 

At the time Rose Chan, then-president of NCL, said the sale of the location for profit violated the spirit in which the transfer of stewardship had been conducted. A lawsuit was filed and in 2015 a tentative agreement was reached between the be.group and NCL. Twelve Oaks returned to its roots as a senior assisted living facility. 

ECS, an affiliate of Twelve Oaks, realized that the property did need renovations and told residents in August 2024 they would have to leave the property; however, the way ECS approached the residents was completely different than the be.group. This time the residents were given plenty of notice of the move. They met with the staff and the residents about the move. Residents were given six months to find other assisted living housing and Staff helped them find other facilities and residents’ moving costs were subsidized as well. 

ECS plans to reopen as an assisted living facility. 

“We continue to work closely with the City [of Glendale] as we prepare for the next phases of the larger redevelopment project. At this time, we still anticipate a two‑year construction schedule for this portion of the work, with an expected reopening in 2029,” stated Gordon.