A senior living complex in Ann Arbor has submitted plans to the city for a proposed 60,000-square-foot expansion.

The Glacier Hills retirement community at 1200 Earhart Road off US-23 is proposing a new skilled memory care building with a total of 80 beds. According to plans on file with the city, several other buildings on the site will have minor renovations and additions, including a 5,604-square-foot addition to the main manor building.

Some units in existing buildings also will be reconfigured to provide more one-bed units, the plans show.

"After all renovations and new construction, the total number of additional units on the site will be 36," reads a project summary posted on the city's Web site. "Parking will be reconfigured on the site and detention will be enlarged to accommodate the extra flow. Three landmark trees will be removed for construction and no activity will take place in the woodland area on the south side of the site."

According to its Web site, Glacier Hills is a non-profit facility that was conceived in the mid-1960s by leaders of the Zion Lutheran Church. In October 1973, the Lutheran Retirement Center opened its doors with 226 apartments and a 70-bed nursing center situated on 34 acres. Nine years later, the name was changed to Glacier Hills, and by 1990, the nursing center more than doubled its size.

In 1996, Glacier Hills opened a new wing of the nursing center, providing a bridge between hospital and home. And in 2002, it opened its newest neighborhood called The Meadows, which is designed for active, independent older adults.

Ryan J. Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.