Seniors Housing Business is the magazine that helps you navigate the evolution of the seniors housing industry.
Issue link: https://seniorshousingbusiness.epubxp.com/i/484276
www.healthcaresigns.com emailus@healthcaresigns.com | 877.714.6588 WSR2-RN45 raised text grade 2 braille palette of 52 colors 3 engraving stocks 7 wood grains customize colors, fonts and text Watch the Windsor II product video at www.healthcaresigns.com/w2 Thousands of customizable sign styles. Modern Design. Endless Possibilities. Windsor II "We wanted to provide more than a place to live," says Kasey Burke, president at Meta Housing. The idea was to develop a building with a lot of com- mon area space that encour- aged life-long learning so residents would be drawn out of their apart- ments. "We wanted people to rediscover their talents and get involved," says Burke. Since Los Angeles is a creative center, the decision was made to develop arts-themed communi- ties. The buildings include art studios for painting and sculpt- ing and theaters for perfor- mances, such as poetry readings. Programming — budgeted at about $40,000 to $60,000 a year per building — is provided by a non-proft group called Engage. It hires instructors to teach classes and provides supplies for art classes. Burke admits the idea didn't catch on right away. The frst building, in Burbank, leased as expected, but it was sev- eral years before the other arts buildings were planned. It also took time to fnd sites for new development. Older apartment buildings couldn't be retroftted since the arts-themed projects require a lot of common space for studios and theaters. Today, the arts buildings are fully leased and Meta Housing is currently looking for more sites. The company plans to develop one new seniors housing arts community per year, accord- ing to Burke. Meta Housing is seeking development partners outside of California to bring the idea to other states. The com- pany also has two sites in south- ern California for arts-themed multifamily projects that would not be age-restricted. Learning curve The college-affliated project is a fast-growing type of niche community. Alums who want Kendal at Granville residents have a conversation on Denison University's campus. The non-proft Kendal Corp. provides development and operational assistance to 13 non-proft afliates, all of which have college connections. "We wanted people to rediscover their talents and get involved," says Kasey Burke, president, Meta Housing. www.seniorshousingbusiness.com 39 February-March 2015 n Seniors Housing Business