Friendship Retirement Community is planning a three-story, 34-unit independent living facility on its campus off Hershberger Road as it plans to cut the size of its nursing home there by moving some beds to a new location.

The company, which filed as Friendship Health and Rehab Center, disclosed the plans in a request for $32 million of funding through the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority, a state agency.

The borrowing would cover the cost of the independent living building and a new nursing home on Starkey Road, as well as funds to refinance earlier borrowings.

Friendship plans to house the 34 independent living units in a new, three-story building on its Hershberger Road campus in Roanoke County. Spokeswoman Nicole Bruch said the company hopes to have the new units available in the spring or early summer of 2014.

Friendship plans to build a 66,000-square-foot facility, with 120 beds, at 5647 Starkey Road. Those beds would be moved from the 373-bed Hershberger Road nursing home, which would allow more residents there to have private rooms.

That plan is still awaiting approval by the state health department.

Friendship has said the new nursing home would cost $16.8 million.

Friendship earlier this year told the Roanoke County Planning Commission that the Starkey Road facility would not be a true nursing home, but would be residential in nature. The aim is to be a short-term rehabilitation facility for patients coping with knee replacements, neurological issues and respiratory problems.

The facility would employ about 60 people, and most patients would stay less than 100 days.

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