After being gifted land for a hospital decades ago, the Sisters of St. Francis plans to give back to the community with an affordable-housing and in-patient hospice project in Santa Maria.

“This is a very special moment today,” Sister Maria Elena Martinez, provincial minister for the St. Francis Province, said during a recent groundbreaking and blessing ceremony to announce new plans for the land they received from Capt. G. Allan and Marian Hancock.

The multifaceted project involves the former Sisters Hospital campus at 124 S. College Drive, south of East Main Street, and collaboration with several other groups.

One key aspect will be the creation of an in-patient hospice care facility to provide a home-like setting for patients in need at the end of their lives.

“There is no such thing in our area. It’s going to be needed forever. It’s needed now,” said Kathleen Sullivan, vice president of post acute care for Dignity Health.

In addition, the proposal calls for new apartments for some of the approximately 20 nuns living at the site, plus housing for senior citizens and at-risk families.

“We believe in caring for the vulnerable. That is part of what we stand for,” Martinez said. 

Following a Chumash blessing by Levi Zavala, the groundbreaking ceremony last week ended up being symbolic because of asphalt that impeded the golden shovels, but the lack of dirt didn’t dampen the excitement. Among those enthusiastically wielding shovels was Sister Angela Dieringer, niece of the nun who founded the hospital.

“We are groundbreaking for the fulfillment of a dream that we continue our Franciscan tradition of caring for the people in Santa Maria, but we don’t do it alone,” Martinez said. 

The nuns collaborated with partners Dignity Health, People’s Self-Help Housing, the City of Santa Maria, NKT Commercial, 19six Architects and others to create a project that meets the community’s needs.

“This is such a labor of love for all of us,” said Sue Andersen, president and chief executive officer of Marian Regional Medical Center.

She noted that Nick Tompkins of NKT Commercial was born in the building when it served as a hospital and ended up being the developer for the newest project. 

“Talk about having a vested interest and passion for this project. I think that says it all,” Andersen said. 

Tompkins led the development of the Enos Ranch project in Santa Maria and has proposed creating the large Dana Reserve residential community in Nipomo. 

The project for the nuns is unlike any others they have undertaken previously, Tompkins said. 

While one plan would have seen the removal of the old hospital’s chapel, Tompkins said he pushed for it to remain “because it’s gorgeous.”

NKT hopes to start work on the housing for the nuns within a few months with the project involving his son, Paul Tompkins.

That project will involve two buildings, each roughly 3,500 square feet, to provide independent-living units for elder nuns.

Likely one of the last aspects to be done will be the People’s Self-Help Housing project to build 40 units for senior citizens plus 79 units for families, with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. 

Ken Trigueiro, People’s Self-Help Housing chief executive officer and president, noted the similar missions shared by the nuns and the nonprofit organization.

“The housing is so needed,” he said, noting the lengthy waiting list for affordable housing in the Santa Maria Valley. “We’re really excited to be able to do another project here with you. 

“The most unique thing for us is we have partners for different things, but we don’t always have prayers.”

After the Sisters Hospital closed when a new facility opened across town, the building became the Marian Residence, an independent senior living facility. More recently, it has housed elder nuns from the Sisters of St. Francis along with offices for Dignity Home Health & Hospice.

After discussions dating back a decade about doing something with the land, the nuns and their partners settled on the multifaceted plan two years ago. 

During the talks, the nuns had braced for the reality that it could mean losing a key piece of history, but they found a champion in Tompkins who vowed to protect it, Martinez said. 

“I think the way this project has evolved is really so much more than what we ever thought we would do with this property,” Andersen added. “I love the way it’s gone and that we’ll having housing on this property. The sisters are really doing something good for the whole community.”