Manny Gonzalez
KTGY is expanding its 75-plus senior development, and it is focusing on Mountain states for its expansion. The focus of this expansion is for-sale and for-rent active adult senior product, which it is bringing to the Colorado region. The expanding senior demographic is driving this expansion, as well as an increase in requests from the developer's clients who are entering the seniors market.
"We have quite a few existing clients who are starting to enter the 55+ market, both in the for-sale and rental space.," Manny Gonzalez, principal of KTGY's national 55-plus active adult practice area leader, tells GlobeSt.com. "We also have clients who we have provided active adult designs from KTGY's Los Angeles office, who are currently expanding into other markets. A perfect example is William Lyon Homes, who we worked with designing the company's first age-qualified offering, Ovation, which they have built in Arizona and Nevada. Now, we are helping them expand this new offering into the Colorado region and, possibly, Texas as well."
While the developer is shifting its focus to mountain states, it is currently actively building in the California market. "KTGY is currently designing an independent living-assisted living-memory care community in Carmichael, California. The community is located on the campus of a private K-12 school providing numerous intergenerational and volunteer opportunities for both residents and students. We are also working on a large life plan community in the Warner Center neighborhood of Los Angeles," Ben Seager, director and design, practice area leader of KTGY's 75+ service-enriched studio, tells GlobeSt.com. "This is a true mixed-use community that will offer over 20,000 square feet of retail open to the public."
KTGY is also staying ahead of the trends in senior housing, which has become a diverse market. "The biggest trend I am seeing in the active adult market is the variety of offerings today," . Gonzalez says. "Developers are finding their own niche and creating a brand that they hope will set them apart. Some of them are even taking clues from the hospitality industry and creating multiple flags to appeal to potential residents on a variety of affordability levels like the Marriott and Hilton have done. I am also seeing "wellness" becoming an important element in communities in general, but in the 55-plus space in particular. Spanning from food to fitness and focusing on social and educational activities, total wellness is emerging as a huge trend."
The baby boomer generation is much more vocal than past senior communities, and they are asking for amenities, community and health services to be built into these properties. "Total wellness—physical, emotional, social, intellectual, occupational and spiritual—is a trend as it is in the 55-plus communities. We are also pushing our clients to explore how technology can play a bigger role in their communities," says Seager. "Residents are becoming more accepting of tele-health appointments, and there are some great new products such as "smart beds" and "smart toilets" that gather real-time health data for nurses and staff. But maybe the biggest trend is connectedness with the outside world. The service-enriched sites that we are working on are increasingly infill, and we are designing them in such a way to allow the residents to have meaningful connections with the greater community."
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Kelsi Maree Borland
