Vancrest Breaks Ground on $15 Million Senior Living Campus in Wapakoneta

WAPAKONETA — Vancrest Health Care Centers has broken ground on a new $15 million senior living campus at the former Auglaize Acres site on Infirmary Road in Wapakoneta.

The approximately 67,000-square-foot facility will offer skilled nursing care, assisted living and short-term rehabilitation. The skilled nursing section is expected to accommodate 64 residents, with most living in private rooms.

Plans also include a separate rehabilitation area, dining room, lounge and recreation spaces. Construction is expected to take approximately 18 months, placing the anticipated completion around spring 2028 if work remains on schedule.

Vancrest Vice President Mark White told WCSM that Wapakoneta shares many qualities with Van Wert, where the company was founded.

“Wapakoneta has so many similarities to where we’re headquartered, where we were founded in Van Wert,” White said.

White said his father began working as a physician in St. Marys before moving to Van Wert in 1960. He said the communities share similar values and approaches to serving their residents.

“We’ve been successful with this model in rural western Ohio, where I think it makes a good fit for Vancrest,” White told WCSM.

Grand Lake Health System is partnering with Vancrest on the project. Health system officials said the new campus will help meet the community’s need for modern senior care and provide another part of the continuum between hospital treatment, rehabilitation, assisted living and long-term care.

The project has been under development for approximately two years. Auglaize Acres was privatized in 2018 and later operated as ODEM at Auglaize before closing in April 2024. The property was subsequently returned to Auglaize County.

The former building was approximately 100 years old. Auglaize County received more than $1 million in state Brownfield funding for asbestos removal and demolition and contributed an additional $250,000 to complete the work.

Early plans called for Vancrest to purchase the property from the county for $20,000 per acre after demolition. The company also worked to acquire the nursing-home bed licenses previously associated with the property, subject to state approval.

Wapakoneta City Council approved a Community Reinvestment Area agreement with Wapakoneta Health Facilities LLC and Vancrest of Wapakoneta LLC in May. The agreement provides a 75-percent property-tax abatement for 15 years.

City officials estimated the abatement at approximately $218,000 annually, depending upon the completed building’s assessed value. Vancrest and its employees will remain subject to applicable city income taxes.

The development was initially projected to create approximately 87 full-time jobs. Vancrest has not announced when hiring will begin or when applications from prospective residents will be accepted.

Vancrest officials said the campus will provide Wapakoneta with a modern senior-care option to replace the aging facility that previously occupied the property.