Artist rendering of the Village at White River Junction, $27 million assisted living facility. Courtesy.
Vermont Business Magazine The Village at White River Junction, a revolutionary $27 million assisted living and memory care facility, will break ground at the intersection of Gates and Currier Streets at4:00 pmonMonday, April 10. The ceremony was announced by Brooke Ciardelli, President of Gates & Dickson, which specializes in developing innovative, downtown, living communities for seniors.
The handsome, five-story facility designed by Lou Bieker of 4240 Architecture will include 80 large, light-filled apartments, restaurant-style dining, a fireside bistro and wifi throughout the building, as well as a dog park, rooftop garden, cinema, spa, and gym.
“Seniors are more active later in life than at any other time in history,” Ciardelli said. “We are creating a kind of vertical main street that is a community within the community. Residents will enjoy first-class, on-site amenities while having convenient access to historic, downtown White River where they can stroll through the community and enjoy shops, restaurants and even live theater.”
On hand for the groundbreaking will be representatives of Life Care Services (LCS), the national, senior-living management company under contract to manage the facility. Today LCS is the 3rd largest operator of housing for seniors in the United States, with 119 properties.
LCS estimates the new facility will add 50 jobs to the local economy.
Byron Hathorn, CEO of Gates & Dickson, who previously redeveloped the historic White River Junction train station, conceived of The Village in cooperation with the State of Vermont’s Designated Downtown Community Revitalization Program, which helps to preserve the historic character of Vermont’s towns while enhancing their future vibrancy.
Town planners intend to move street-level utilities and expand sidewalks and streetlights to improve the pedestrian experience. Estes & Gallup of Lyme are the general contractors and many of the subcontractors are based in Vermont.
The Village at White River Junction will begin resident sign-ups this autumn, with the grand opening scheduled for May 2018.
FAST FACTS
WHAT: Groundbreaking of The Village at White River Junction.
WHEN:Monday, April 10, 2017, 4:00 pm.
WHERE: Intersection of Gates and Currier Streets, White River Junction, Vermont.
WHY: To celebrate construction on an innovative new senior living development in historic downtown White River Junction.
LEAD DEVELOPER: Byron Hathorn and Brooke Ciardelli, Gates & Dickson, White River Junction, VT
ARCHITECT: Leo Bieker, 4240 Architecture, Denver, CO
INTERIOR DESIGNER: Denise Welch-May, dpf Design, White River Junction, VT
CONTRACTOR: Estes & Gallup, Lyme, NH
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architecture, Burlington, VT
LENDERS: Community National Bank of St. Johnsbury, participating banks throughout New England, SBA 504 Federal Loan.
OPERATOR: Life Care Services, Des Moines, IA
QUOTES:
Byron Hathorn: “It is something really special to be building right here in White River Junction and to be part of the downtown’s revitalization.”
Brooke Ciardelli: “Seniors are more active later in life than at any other time in history, and baby boomers are looking for hospitality-level amenities with the security of assisted living if they need it, but without the isolation of some facilities. We are creating a kind of vertical main street that is a community within the community. Residents will enjoy on-site amenities – including a gym, cinema, spa, bistro, pub, art gallery and terraces with a dog park and rooftop garden – while having convenient access to the walkable downtown where they can continue being active in the mixed-ages community.”
Town Manager Leo Pullar: "We are very excited about this project. It represents a great development for our growing downtown. Robust and resilient communities have a mix of children, adults and seniors. This project helps increase that mix and will make the Town a better place for all who live, work and play here. It has been great to see private investment work together with public investment to bring portions of the Town's long range plan into focus.”
STATISTICS: Over 76 million baby boomers are reaching seniority, which will cause the 65+ population to more than double by 2060, from 46 million to 98 million and from 15% to 24% of the U.S. population. Each day, 10,000 people reach age 65 andwithin five yearshalf of the population will be over age 50.
Social isolation and loneliness are associated with higher risk or mortality and major physical and mental illness in adults aged 52+, 28% of people aged 65+ and almost half of women aged 75+ live alone, and 41% of seniors do not have adequate transportation options in their communities.
Gates & Dickson. 3.31.2017. (Sources: National Academy of Sciences, U.S. Census Bureau, Nielsen, Administration on Aging, National Council on Aging, AARP)