SECOND SENIOR RESIDENTIAL OVERLAY DISTRICT APPROVED FOR INDUSTRIAL PARCEL IN HOLLISTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Voters in Holliston, Massachusetts, have approved a second senior residential overlay district. The district is located on seven acres off Washington Street, on a tiny road called Jasper Hill, according to the MetroWest Daily News. Jasper Hill is the second overlay district created since Town Meeting approved a bylaw that clears the way for developments for people over 55 in industrial zoned portions.
The first project is currently before the Planning Board. Pulte Homes has proposed building 66 townhouse-style homes on 43 acres of land on Washington Street. Reporter John Johnson said it was touted as the first step in building homes for seniors who want to stay in town but cannot afford to, nor want to, maintain their large homes. When the project was approved by Town Meeting similar housing projects in other towns were selling for as much as $350,000 Pulte representative Mark Comeau said. For more information go to http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/
SENIOR LIFESTYLES OPERATING IN NINE CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOODS, BUILDING IN FOUR MORE
Senior Lifestyles, which operates senior buildings in nine neighborhoods in the city of Chicago, is building units in four more neighborhoods, including a Humboldt Park site, which City officials are preparing to sell three parcels to the company, which plans to build an 88-unit seniors building at Huron Street and Lawndale Avenue, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The developer's $9.8 million, five-story building in Humboldt Park will consist of 31 studio apartments and 57 one-bedroom units. All will include kitchens and bathrooms. A lounge will be built on each floor, combining to create 6000 square feet of common space, according to Bob Gawronski, vice president of the Chicago-based Senior Lifestyles.
The total development site is 47,000 square feet and consists of seven parcels. The newspaper said the city's three parcels, or 40 percent of the total site, will be sold to the developer for $99,750, the appraised value, according to Janina Castillo, a spokeswoman for the Department of Housing for the city. For more information go to http://www.chicagotribune.com/
LOS ANGELES FIRM WANTS TO CONVERT FLORIDA HOSPITAL INTO SENIOR APARTMENTS
A Los Angeles development group wants to buy the soon-to-be vacant Florida Hospital Waterman Building located in Eustis, Florida and redevelop it into an enclave of shops and apartments for seniors, the Orlando Sentinel newspaper reported. The group, Dream Harvest Inc., is a nonprofit senior-living corporation that is interested in Eustis because of the city's lakefront and historic downtown, as well as the county's rising senior population.
The $29 million proposal includes a child-care facility, a spa, a paddleboat for dinner cruises on Lake Eustis, two shuttle buses, and a mix of housing for retirees and people who need assisted living, reporter Stephanie Erickson wrote. "They think the downtown area of Eustis has the potential to become the new senior destination of Central Florida," Eustis Commissioner Gwendolyn Manning said.
The hospital's new building on U.S. Highway 441 in Tavares will be finished later this year, leaving the old structure in downtown Eustis-and its 14 acres-vacated by next year.
For more information go to http://www.orlandosentinel.com/ and type "hospital senior complex" in search box and scroll down to Old Hospital Could House Senior Complex. The full article must be purchased.
CHICAGO RELIGIOUS ORDER GETTING INTO SENIOR HOUSING BUSINESS
A Catholic order of nuns plans to use land in the Chicago suburb of Barlett to build a senior housing project for as many as 600 people, most of which will be lay people, the Associated Press news service reported.
Sister Jean Conzemius, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis, expects income from the seniors housing project to provide revenue for the Order's retirement fund which could otherwise dry up in the coming years because currently about 30 nuns are trying to support the 230 or so who no longer work.
Don Babwin, an Associated Press writer, said if opening a housing project for as many as 600 people sounds odd for a religious order, Conzemius and other say it represents the beginning of a trend that will grow in the coming years. "You're going to start finding them all across the United States, said Glenn Trembley, project administrator of the Benedictine Sisters, who plan to build a $50 million retirement community at the Sacred Heart Monastery on their campus in Lisle, Illinois. For more information go to http://www.naplesnews.com/
RENOVATED NEIGHBORHOOD IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA PROVIDES SENIOR HOUSING
A $27 million Hope IV grant has provided senior housing in the Jordan Park neighborhood renovation, 25 acres in south St. Petersburg, Fla. The grant to the St. Petersburg Housing Authority came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The housing authority, Fannie Mae and the city provided additional financing.
The new development has 206 apartment homes and 31 renovated units for seniors. Housing at Jordan Park is offered to families who earn 60 percent of the midtown area's median income of $28,620 or less. Rents are based on 30 percent of an adjusted income, and on average 95 percent of tenants earn a per capita income of $10,500 and pay rents of slightly more than $100 a month, said Darrell Irions, executive director of the housing authority. For more information go to http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2002/04/29/focus6.html
CONNECTICUT SUPERIOR COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF SENIORS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
After a Superior Court decision, work will begin by mid summer on a senior's housing development in North Haven, Connecticut, the local newspaper reported.
Recently, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved an application from AFRV LLC of North Haven to build the units at 500 and 511 Elm St. Eighteen units will be built among three buildings on almost three acres at 500 Elm. Across the street at 511 Elm, 11 buildings will house 55 units. A community building will also be built on that same 8.54-acre tract. John Parese, a lawyer for the developers Rick Vizziello and Andy Forte, told the North Haven Post newspaper that he didn't know yet what the condominiums will sell for. There will be one, two and three-bedroom apartment units.
AFRV first proposed Quail Run Village last year, Post editor Anthony Mangiafico wrote. At that time, the decision before the commission was whether to approve a zoning change at the site. In the end the commission allowed the zoning to be changed and allowed housing for the elderly.
Residents appealed the decision, saying the complex was too dense and they didn't want more traffic in the neighborhood, but the appeal was denied in Superior Court. At that time, the developers wanted to put in 96 units. That number was later revised to 73. For more information go to http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=4130466&BRD=1638&PAG=461&dept_id=9364&rfi=6
COMPANY DEVELOPING $30,000 WHEELCHAIR THAT CAN CARRY RIDER UP, DOWN STAIRS
No matter what you call it, a battery-powered wheelchair or an advanced mobility system, the product by Johnson & Johnson Co. has a lot of features. The company, which prefers the latter name, hopes to begin selling the device next year, Fortune magazine reported.
Created by maverick inventor Dean Kamen of Segway scooter fame, the 250-pound wheelchair, called the IBOT, includes gyroscopes and sensors that enable it to carry a rider up and down stairs, and raise them up on two wheels so that they can face others at eye level. Fortune writer Alex Taylor III said J&J makes nothing like the IBOT but so far the company has pumped more than $100 million into the product.
This summer, a year behind schedule, it plans to submit the results of its clinical trails to the Food and Drug Administration. The magazine notes that the $30,000 price tag is dramatically more expensive than conventional battery-powered chairs, which start at around $5000. For more information go to http://www.fortune.com/
NO-STEP ENTRANCE TOO DIFFICULT TO IMPLEMENT IN NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, COMMISSION SAYS
A proposal aimed at making all new housing in Naperville, Illinois accessible to disabled people by requiring a no-step entrance is off the table because the city's Fair Housing Advisory Commission determined it would be too difficult to implement, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The commission, an appointed board, made the recommendation for the no-step entrance earlier this year. The commission also recommended changing homes' interiors to make it easier for a person in a wheelchair to get around the house. The City Council approved that requirement in February.
In a memo presented to the City Council, commission member Bill Malleris said that in a typical new house in the southern part of Naperville, the distance between the curb and finished floor of the house is five feet. This rise helps accommodate basements with high ceilings and other design features. Many houses being built in other communities are 24 to 30 inches off the ground, he said. "Our position is that this (no-step entrance) can still be done in other communities, and that's where typical single-family homes are being built," he said. "We did (the research) based on the facts, not on the hoopla."
For more information go to http://www.chicagotribune.com/ and type "no-step entry" in search box and scroll down to Disabled-Access Rule Dropped. The full article must be purchased.
STUDY SAYS NEAR-RETIREES DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SAVED, BUT SOME PEOPLE DISAGREE
Despite the longest period of economic prosperity in American history, most older workers are less well-provisioned for retirement than they were when the growth began, the Los Angeles Times reported about a recently released study.
The study, by New York University economist Edward N. Wolff, concludes that more than 40 percent of households headed by workers nearing retirement, those 47 to 64 years old, don't have enough to replace even half their pre-retirement income, up from 30 percent in the 1980s. Nearly 20 percent don't have enough to keep themselves above the poverty line. Most experts say people need to replace 75 percent to 80 percent of pre-retirement income to live comfortably after quitting work.
Officials with the Economic Policy Institute, the labor-backed think tank that sponsored the study, said Wolff's findings prove that Washington should resist calls for privatizing Social Security and find ways to revive traditional, company-run pension plans as an alternative to individually controlled 401(k) s.
However, Peter G. Gosselin, writer for the L.A. Times, said a close look at Wolff's study suggests that it offers as much ammunition to proponents of individual accounts and privatization as it does to opponents. He quotes Andrew G. Biggs, an analyst with the Cato Institute in Washington, as saying, "I'm not sure this study proves all the things its author thinks it proves."
For more information go to http://www.latimes.com and search the archives using the keywords "retirement savings". The full article must be purchased.
HARRIS INTERACTIVE STUDY SHATTERS PERCEPTIONS OF SENIORS, CITES "FOUR FACES OF RETIREMENT"
A new Harris Interactive (SM) study sponsored by AIG SunAmerica shatters many long-standing, traditional perceptions of retirement in the United States and offers an in-depth look at the "four faces of retirement." Harris Interactive, a leading market research firm, worked with Dr. Ken Dychtwald, one of the nation's foremost experts on aging and retirement.
Interviews with more than 1000 individuals aged 55 and over indicated a majority of retirees and pre-retirees do not regard retirement as a time of rest and relaxation. Rather, they see it as a new, active stage of their lives characterized by continued personal growth, personal reinvention and new beginnings in work and leisure.
This research indicates four distinct segments that now define the contemporary U.S. retirement experience:
"Ageless Explorers" (27%). Retirement can be seen as an exciting new phase in their lives as they would rather be too busy than risk being bored.
"Comfortably Contents" (19%). They seek to live the traditional retirement life, where they relax and enjoy their golden years.
"Live for Todays" (22%). They aspire to many of the same new retirement ideal laid out by Ageless Explorers, but they did not adequately prepared financially for retirement, so they are likely to continue working in retirement.
"Sick & Tireds" (32%). They are less educated and with fewer financial resources and they have low expectations for the future. They are more likely to have been forced into retirement by poor health.
USA TODAY REPORTS GROWING NUMBER OF RETIREES WANT TO STAY CLOSE TO HOME
Many of the nation's 78 million baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, want to move when they retire. But the USA Today newspaper reported that a growing number also want to stay close to home. They want to live around people their age in new developments that combine the comforts of suburbia with the perks of a resort.
Reporter Haya El Nasser noted that they will trade year-round summer for proximity to family, friends and doctors. And because 35 percent of boomers say they'll keep working after they officially retire, they want to stay close to professional contacts.
Many want retirement homes in the metro areas where they have lived for years. As a result, the newspaper said demand is exploding for a new kind of community in the Northeast, Midwest and West. Luxurious communities are popping up around Boston, Chicago, Washington, Detroit, New York, Minneapolis, Denver and Seattle. Builders and buyers call them "active adult communities," not retirement centers, the newspaper noted. For more information go to http://www.usatoday.com.
USE OF ELEVATORS INCREASING IN HOUSES, AS BABY BOOMER HAVE OR ANTICIPATE NEED
Elevators have existed for years in urban and suburban estate-style homes, the Chicago Tribune newspaper noted. But it is only in recent years that they have begun to show up more frequently in new and existing homes in a more middle-class setting, according to writer Barbara B. Buchholz.
One reason, the newspaper said, and some say the biggest reason accounting for the increase in home elevator sales, is the Baby Boomers' anticipation of needing an elevator down the road for themselves and more immediately for their visiting aging parents.
Although they didn't require wheelchair access, Gail and Harvey Pestine installed one in the two-story North Shore home they had lived in for 24 years because both had bad legs. "We wanted to avoid eventually moving out. It was harder getting upstairs. We loved our home and wanted to stay put," Gail told the reporter.
SENIORS WILL BE OCCUPYING LARGEST HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK
Seniors will be occupying the largest housing development in Suffolk County-The Greens at Half Hollow, Newsday reported. Construction has started on some of the 1200 homes planned for the more than 300-acre site in Huntington, New York.
The housing complex, which developers say will open in about nine months, will include an 18-hole golf course, a clubhouse with an indoor and outdoor pool, game rooms and tennis courts. Units are restricted to residents 55 and older and range in price from $125,000 to $1 million, said reporter Alfonso A. Castillo.
For more information go to http://www.newsday.com/ and click on archives and type "hundreds set sights" in headline box. Payment is required to view article.
"Today's boomers want choices," said William Novelli, executive director and CEO of the AARP. The keynote speaker at the Seniors Housing Symposium in Orlando, Florida noted, "These are people who are not afraid of making decisions, and they want instant gratification." Whether boomers choose to live in rental apartments, condominiums, attached villas or single-family homes, they want choices.
How do builders know what consumers want? John Migliaccio, an applied gerontologist and president of Maturity Mark Services in White Plains, N.Y. has a simple answer: just ask. "Don't tell them, ask them what they want," Migliaccio said. "Your need to educate the market to make its own choices."
The Seniors Housing Symposium, "Building for Boomers and Beyond," was con-sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Seniors Housing Council and the NAHB Research Center.
The 2003 Seniors Housing Symposium will be held on April 28-30 at the Renaissance Esmeralda in Indian Wells, Calif. For more information contact Cindy Smith at 800-368-5242, Ext. 8474 or e-mail cysmith@nahb.com.
HUD, NAHB TO EDUCATE INDUSTRY ABOUT ACCESSIBLE HOUSING FOR DISABLED PEOPLE
Mel Martinez, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced what he called a historic partnership with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) to educate and train persons in the housing industry about their responsibilities to provide accessible housing to persons with disabilities.
In reaching this accord, HUD and NAHB agree to aggressively promote design and construction requirements for accessibility in all multifamily housing, including apartment buildings, condominiums and cooperatives. Martinez said it is the first time HUD and NAHB agreed to team up to educate large segments of the construction industry and the general public about the requirements that are essential to making multifamily housing accessible to persons with disabilities.
"Persons with a disability should not be denied accessible housing because a building wasn't constructed with them in mind," said Martinez. Gary Garczynski, president of NAHB, said, "We applaud Secretary Martinez for his leadership on Fair Housing and we are committed to working with HUD to ensure that anyone who needs accessible housing will find a ready supply available."
Enacted in 1968, the Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion and national origin. The Act was amended in 1974 to outlaw discrimination based on sex and in 1988 to bar discrimination against families with children and persons with disabilities.
OLDER AMERICANS MONTH MARKS CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES
The theme of this year's observance in May of Older Americans Month, "America: A Community for All Ages," reminds us that all citizens, regardless of age, are essential to successful and safe communities, President George W. Bush said in his proclamation about the event.
Tommy G. Thompson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said, "We must continue to pledge our support for older Americans by improving their health and well-being-through accessible and quality health care and affordable prescription drug coverage, and through support for community-based programs such as those provided by the Administration on Aging.
Josefina G. Carbonell, assistant secretary for Aging in the Administration on Aging, said 2002 is an exciting year for our aging community. "We are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program, one of the most successful community-based programs for seniors in America. And we are also heralding the convening of the 2nd World Assembly on Aging, held in April 2002 in Madrid, Spain. At this important gathering of over 100 nations of the world, America's position as a compassionate nation, which values its elders was affirmed."
NAHB PRESENTS FIRST 50 CERTIFIED AGING-IN-PLACE SPECIALISTS FOR REMODELING HOMES
As the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age and begins focusing on the issues of home safety and comfort, remodeling needs are changing dramatically. Responding to this rising demand, the National Association of Home Builder's (NAHB) Remodelors Council presented credentials to the country's first 50 Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists (CAPS) as the kick-off to this year's National Home Remodeling Month. The credentials were awarded following training sessions in Orlando, Florida in early May.
"Unlike their parents, aging Baby Boomers don't want to move once they get older," said Dan Bawden, an NAHB Remodelors Council Board of Trustees member and remodeler from Houston, Texas. "They want their existing homes to change with their shifting needs. Certified remodelers are specifically trained to do the kinds of home modifications homeowners want and need as they grow older in their homes."
Building off NAHB's successful Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR) program, the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist designation program-developed by the NAHB Remodelors Council in collaboration with the NAHB Research Center, NAHB Seniors Housing Council and the AARP-equips remodelers with the marketing, technical and customer service skills required to effectively service the burgeoning market for aging-in-place home remodeling. Examples of jobs for this segment range from simply adding shower grabs and adjusting countertop heights to the creation of first-floor master suites and the installation or private elevators. For more information go to http://www.nahb.org.
NAHB SENIORS HOUSING COUNCIL ANNOUNCES 2002 ICONS OF THE INDUSTRY AWARDS
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Seniors Housing Council announced the winners of its 2002 Icons of the Industry Award for their leadership in developing communities, products and educational services targeted specifically to the burgeoning 50 + seniors housing market. At the Council's Seniors Housing Symposium, Building for Boomers and Beyond in Orlando, Fla. the awards were presented to:
Ross Cortese of Rossmoor Leisure World;
Paul Klaassen of Sunrise Assisted Living;
Kohler Co.
AARP
"With millions of seniors entering the housing market, the need for high quality housing to meet their diverse needs is greater than ever," said Gary Garczynski, president of the NAHB and a builder/developer from Woodbridge, Virginia. He said the purpose of the awards is to honor those who are setting the standards for the industry and to encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
