44-acre property sold near shopping in D’Iberville. Here’s what’s planned for the site

One of the choicest commercial pieces of land on the Coast — between The Promenade and Sangani Boulevard shops in D’Iberville and the new Cook Road connector in Jackson County — has a new owner.

Southeast Commercial Real Estate recently sold the 44-acre parcel on Mallet Road, just east of Cypress Lanes Bowling center.

The new owner, Sentry Care, plans to build Twin Oaks Village nursing home and rehabilitation facility on the site.

“It’s a beautiful piece of property,” said Collin Cheek, president of SentryCare.

Watters Architects of Pass Christian is well into the design phase, he said, and the nursing home will have 69 all-private rooms and will be on the lake.

SentryCare operates Dunbar Village in Bay St. Louis and River Chase Village in Gautier, in addition to assisted living, long-term care nursing and rehabilitative services facilities in Mississippi and Arkansas.

This Coast location gives them the opportunity to serve Ocean Springs and D’Iberville, he said and has quick access to the hospitals in Ocean Springs and downtown Biloxi.

Construction will begin before the end of the year and the facility is expected to open in about two years, Cheek said.

“We are a family owned and operated company,” he said. His father, Chris Cheek, founded SentryCare in 1993 and is CEO of the company.

The SentryCare model of nursing home is designed to empower those who live there.

“The residents are very involved in what goes on in the village,” Collin said. They serve on committees that make decisions on menu selections and activities. Residents also are allowed to bring their pets to live with them.