50+ Housing in the News

Convent Conversion
The Sisters of Mercy, an order of Roman Catholic nuns in Portland, Maine, plan to turn their turn-of-the-century convent into a retirement community, according to a story in the Portland Press Herald. St. Joseph’s convent, along with part of a nearby former high school building, will be transformed into 50 independent-living units, while another 20 to 30 units and 18 to 20 cottages will also be built on the property. The order chose developer John Wasileski to work with them on the project “because his proposal opened the motherhouse to the public, but also retained the history and character of the building,” explained Sister Jean Little. The paper also has a special 16-page section on Boomers that ran Aug. 6.

Boomers Going “Half-Back” to the Carolinas
Retirees are leaving Florida for North and South Carolina, according to the National Active Retirement Association. Reported in the Myrtle Beach Sun News, research from ChangeWave shows that “a significant number of recent Florida immigrants have chosen to come half-back to cheaper, less crowded and less hurricane prone residential areas in South and North Carolina." Local builders are confident that this trend will continue and will help keep the area market strong.

Singles Only
The New York Times profiles an ambitious project helmed by the United Hebrew Geriatric Center, which is building a $52 million dollar nursing home made up entirely of single-occupancy units. Designed by Perkins Eastman Architects, parts of the building will have a unique configuration that creates "neighborhoods" of groups of rooms centered around common areas. The increased privacy and other amenities are meant to capture residents in an increasingly competitive industry.

Fresh Design Invigorates Senior Apartments
Several senior apartment communities in the Denver area have made interior design a top priority to attract residents and make them feel at home. Upscale decor and a range of options are important to buyers, says Karen McMurry, designer. "Consumers in this market are becoming more and more discriminating, and as baby boomers enter the market, this trend will only increase," she says. The article in the Rocky Mountain News also offers a wealth of decorating and design tips. [Return to top]