The Douglas Company is pleased to announce the completion of the Legacy Ridge Memory Care Community

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez
Legacy Ridge Memory Care

The Douglas Company, an award-winning Toledo, Ohio based general contractor specializing in multi-family, senior living, and mixed-use construction projects, is pleased to announce the completion of Legacy Ridge, a new 41,189 square foot, single-story memory care community in Gainesville, Virginia.

The Douglas Company was pleased to work alongside the developer, Dillin LLC, and architect, M&A Architects, on another exceptional senior living project. This $11.6 million community features a blend of Hardi lap siding and beautiful brick veneer and includes stylish design elements such as architectural louvers, chimney pots, and large viewing windows. The 64 units offer built-in storage and walk-in showers with single or double occupancy options available.

Legacy Ridge combines contemporary elegance with a warm, inviting environment that is sure to create the feeling of home. Mealtimes are celebrated in the full-service kitchen and multiple dining rooms, featuring relaxing fireplaces, and restaurant-style dining options. The Fitness center, salon,...

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Designing Senior Living Communities for COVID-19

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

Recently I had the privilege of participating in a design charrette for a new IL/AL/MC facility.  Obviously the current pandemic is on everyone’s mind.  No one knows when it will end, if the virus will morph and/or come back, or if we will someday need to deal with another similar crisis.  So the decision was made by the client that the facility needed to be designed not only to protect the residents and staff but also in such a progressive manner that the operator could use this as a strategic advantage in the marketplace.  Their concept is that they want to be known as a place safer than home-where professionals know how to keep you safe. In my experience, these discussions are just starting, so there is much to learn and will continue to be, but some of the ideas that came out were as follows:

  • Electrostatic sanitation systems.
  • Safe visitation areas.
  • A...

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Post Covid-19 Senior Living Communities

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted nearly everyone and somehow touched every aspect of the world in which we live.  It will change many aspects of the senior housing industry, including not only the prospects for new development but the design and functionality of new senior living communities.  While the ramifications both short and long term are still unclear, the pandemic will not change the vast wave of baby boomers who will provide steady demand growth for senior housing for several years beginning in 2022.

Most experts within the senior living industry continue to express optimism about the long term prospects for senior housing, and particularly the assisted living, memory care, independent living and active adult segments, all of which have experienced significantly fewer cases of Covid-19 than have been realized in skilled nursing communities.

As we begin to look to the future, it seems inevitable that Covid-19 will have a lasting impact...

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The Douglas Company announces that construction has begun on The Grove at Trelago

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

The Douglas Company, an award-winning Orlando, Florida based general contractor, announces that construction has begun on Vestcor Communities' newest $21 million assisted living and memory care senior housing community. The Grove at Trelago will be located along Maitland Boulevard east of I-4, with the elegant backdrop of Lake Charity.

This luxurious 113,989 square-foot assisted living and memory care community designed by PQH Group Design Inc. will be comprised of 96 assisted living units, 20 memory care studios. The Grove at Trelago will boast spacious, well-appointed studio, one and two-bedroom assisted living apartments as well as private memory care residences. The expansive resort-style community will include a fitness and wellness center, movie theatre, multiple dining options, a beauty salon, a grand atrium staircase, and areas for social and educational programming. Outdoor amenities include a resort-style pool, plantation-style porches, luxuriously landscaped courtyards, a putting green, outdoor fireplace, numerous water...

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Turning the Corner

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez
Turning the Corner in design for senior living

Who is ready to turn the corner on everything that has been in front of us in the last couple of months?  I know I am.  While The Douglas Company has been fortunate and grateful to continue operations as an essential business during this pandemic, it has, of course, prevented me from getting out and seeing clients, prospects, and my networking partners, unfortunately.  As I’m sure many can relate, Zoom is just not the same!

That being said, and while it could have spawned from better circumstances, there will be some interesting and exciting times ahead for the design and construction of multi-family spaces in particular senior living communities. 

We have been busy in our estimating and pre-construction departments assisting clients with conceptual budget estimates and value engineering as usual and look forward to seeing more and more creative ideas on how to address health crisis type issues that can...

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Active Adult Senior Communities

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

As I talk with both senior living and multi-family developers, there is a big focus and many questions relating to “active adult” or “age-restricted’ apartments.  It makes sense for many reasons, but the average age of entry stands out the most.  Today the average age at which a person moves into traditional senior housing is 85, with an average length of stay just over six years.

The move-in age for active adult communities is in the low to mid-70's.  The oldest members of the baby boomer generation, those born in 1946, are just now turning 74.  This creates a true opportunity to capture a younger senior demographic ten years earlier than traditional senior living facilities.

Boomers considering active adult communities prefer renting over owning to provide them with economic and logistical flexibility.  They are attracted by a sense of community and are healthy enough to not need traditional care-based senior housing.  At...

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What Should Senior Living Construction Really Cost?

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

After years of attending the NIC and ASHA conferences, I feel a need to shout out about the construction costs that one of our competitors supply to them for senior living.  Frankly, I don’t know how anyone could make the numbers work for a project with the costs that they promote.  First of all, construction costs per square foot are probably the wrong numbers to be considering when developing proformas.  Cost per unit or cost per bed is what matters because revenue is based on cost per unit and cost per bed.  Cost per square foot can be an extreme variable depending on space usage.  As you can imagine, as an individual room increases in size, the cost per added square foot isn’t much.  So larger units cost less than smaller units on a cost per square foot basis, but the incremental cost per unit is not that much different. ...

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Construction Begins on Maumee Pointe Assisted Living and Memory

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

The Douglas Company will be serving as the general contractor for a new $11.7 million assisted living and memory care project that recently began construction. Maumee Pointe assisted living and memory care will be located at 1050 Medical Center Pkwy, Maumee, Ohio. 

Maumee Pointe will be a 69,310 square-foot assisted living and memory care community, developed by Sage Real Estate Development of Rochester, New York. The new senior living community will consist of a single-story building, including 22 memory care units for individuals with dementia-related conditions, and a two-story assisted living building offering 58 one-bedroom suites for those needing assisted living services.

Amenities at Maumee Pointe will include an arts and crafts area, spa, chapel, bistro and dining area, wellness center, sunroom, and lounges. The exterior layout consists of two courtyards, a fire pit, and a greenhouse. The new senior living community was designed by Davison Smith Certo Architects, Inc. to...

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Mid-Market Musing

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

I learned early in my career how little I know.  Though we have built more senior living than anyone I know and have been exposed to very successful senior living developers and operators, they all operate differently.  Someone recently said to me, “An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less until eventually, he knows everything about nothing.” But I don’t think that is the case in my situation.  It’s just that there are a lot of ways to be successful if you know what your Hedgehog Concept is, as Jim Collins would say.

Mid-market became a newer thing a couple of years ago.  They often say what is old is new, and this might be one of those situations.  We, in conjunction with a number of clients, are working on several mid-market concepts.  They hearken back to the eighties when this industry was starting, and people’s...

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The Stepping Stone for Baby Boomers

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

The “Silver Tsunami” of Baby Boomers is not knocking on the door of assisted living communities just yet and still has several years to go before they are.  So how are senior living developers going to entice these folks to leave their homes?

A recent article in Senior Housing News noted that in a survey of 120 senior housing professionals, 87% of them responded that they are currently pursuing active adult apartment projects.  They see the need for a stepping stone so to speak; getting seniors to leave their homes that are nowhere near ready to move into an Independent Living community much less an Assisted Living community.  Seniors in this segment are still looking for active, vibrant lives and are not ready to see what the future looks like by living in communities where they would see just that. 

If seniors can stay in place longer in these communities with the...

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Bright Future for Senior Housing

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

One thing was clear at the National Investment Center for Senior Housing (NIC) fall conference that was held recently in Chicago.  The interest in senior housing continues to grow.  With more than 3,300 attendees at NIC, it was a whirlwind of activity meeting with developers, operators, equity providers and lenders, all who are optimistic about the future for new development in senior housing.

There seems to be no limit to the private equity that is available to experienced developers who along with their operating partners have a solid track record.  Private equity funds that target the senior housing sector raised more money in 2018 than at any time before, with more than $15 Billion raised.  This is up from the previous record of $10.8 Billion raised in 2015.

This high level of interest in senior housing can be supported by the fact that the number of Americans age 65 and above is...

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What’s really happening with mid-market senior living?

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

The Douglas Company has done a lot of work on developing Mid-market senior living prototypes that are cost-effective, functional and durable.  Though we have expertise in senior living construction, we are not experts in the operations of these communities.   So while we can attack the cost of the physical plan, which is really is only 10% of revenue, it's a small part of the solution.

At the NIC Conference, people talking about how to serve the mid-market, but only one had a prototype.  It was intriguing and thoughtful and we are studying it further, but there was limited other focus on this market from what I saw.  NIC had a session specifically devoted to this, and there were a number of statistics I wouldn’t normally consider impacting current and future demand for this product, such as the changing demographics related to marital status, location relative to children, changing health-related factors, and...

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The Douglas Company is excited to announce the Completion of Construction on YourLife Memory Care Community

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

The Douglas Company, an award-winning Toledo, Ohio based general contractor specializing in senior living, multi-family and mixed-use construction projects, is proud to announce the completion of construction on the new YourLife Memory Care Community, located in Coconut Creek, Florida.

YourLife of Coconut Creek is a 61,760 square-foot, two-story memory care community with 84 apartment-style units. Residents will enjoy amenities including multiple common areas, a spa and beauty salon, numerous screened-in porches, interior courtyard, putting green, and a butterfly heritage garden. This $13.2 million community owned by Olson Land Partners, was designed by architect, Leo A. Daly to deliver the most exceptional memory care and engaging lifestyle for residents living with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, as well as, meeting all stringent South Florida hurricane protection requirements.

"The Douglas Company is excited to be part of the project team celebrating the successful completion of this development. We...

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Construction has begun on HarborChase of Stuart

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

The Douglas Company, an award-winning Toledo, Ohio based general contractor specializing in senior living, multi-family and mixed-use construction projects, is pleased to announce that construction has begun on HarborChase of Stuart, a 127,798 square-foot assisted living and memory care community in Stuart, Florida.

Co-developed and owned by Denver-based Confluent Senior Living, co-developed and operated by Florida-based Harbor Retirement Associates and designed by Baker Barrios Architects, Inc.; HarborChase of Stuart will provide a mix of 134 assisted living and memory care apartments in the two-story facility.  The luxury senior living community will feature amenities including a full-service commercial kitchen, multiple dining areas, a salon, massage room, wellness room, three interior courtyards complete with multiple fountains, a shade sail, a putting green, resident planting beds, a fire pit, and high-end interior finishes.  Construction is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2020.

“Our project team is excited to be building this phenomenal development. ...

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The Douglas Company Celebrates Groundbreaking of the New Blue Heron Health and Rehabilitation Community in Wesley Chapel, Florida

Posted on | by Nikki Lopez

The Douglas Company, an award-winning Toledo, Ohio based general contractor specializing in senior living, multi-family and mixed-use construction projects, celebrated with the owner, TLC Management, Inc., a recent groundbreaking of their new $33.2 million Blue Heron Health and Rehabilitation Community in Wesley Chapel, Florida.

Blue Heron Health and Rehabilitation Community will feature a total of 201 residences inclusive of 106 skilled nursing, 22 memory care, and 73 assisted living suites. Meticulously designed by Cuhaci & Peterson, the community will encompass approximately 158,971 square feet of living and communal space with amenities including a health spa, theater, game room, wellness gym, activity center, resident art gallery, library, putting green, and bistro shop – all conveniently located on-site. Construction is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2020.

“It's gratifying to bring TLC Management’s vision to life.  Blue Heron Health and Rehabilitation will be a beautiful space with first-rate services that meets the...

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