Village at Northridge  www.srgseniorliving.com  view photos

An Urban Twist on Senior Living

With a five-star hotel quality feel and an abundant of amenities, The Village at Northridge provides a senior living sanctuary in Los Angeles, Calif.

By Carina Calhoun
Photography by Brad Stewart

A community built on the concept of breathing senior living lifestyle into the Los Angeles, Calif., urban atmosphere, The Village at Northridge inspires a balance of contemporary design with resortlike tranquility. Developed by Senior Resource Group, LLC, (SRG) an award-winning, luxury, retirement community developer, the project is a primary example of a sophisticated blend of a comfortable lifestyle, recreational opportunities and wellness programs.

SRG's goal is creating a balance between a life of vibrant independence and the reassurance of supportive care, which is met at The Village at Northridge. SRG has a longstanding and wellearned reputation for creating extraordinary communities with first-class programs, amenities and services. The company's exceptional senior living communities are only rivaled by their extraordinary commitment to service delivery. This commitment is reflected in the company's core Genuine Hospitality program, in which exceptional service is instinctively delivered by a dedicated group of people who truly believe the residents' well-being and quality of life is their personal responsibility.

"We believe The Village at Northridge compares favorably and above most of the other communities in the area, primarily for its newness and fresh approach to contemporary architecture, related to the urban core location, rather than the spread of suburban development," stated Bill Drake, AIA, director of development of SRG. The 5-acre, four-story community includes 275 units with six different floor plans ranging from 730 to 1,186 square feet and was completed in March 2010. However, in mid- 2011, there were units added to the site. The units have options of a one-bedroom with one bath to a two-bedroom with two baths, with all the various luxuries including a full kitchen; walk-in closet; covered patio or balcony; washer and dryer; and individual climate controls. The approximately $56 million project was funded through conventional construction financing mechanisms, and 121 units are currently leased.

According to Drake, the development challenges were primarily site constraint issues. With a site of this size, it has a twolevel subterranean garage and four levels of residential units above and attained to this are an electrical power vault for the City of Los Angeles. Additionally, the 18,000-cubic-foot storm water retention basin (vault), which had to be constructed concurrently with the building and thus created huge logistical and significant coordination problems. "The city was very complimentary to the entire proposed build-out as a new beginning for an old used property," said Drake.

Building the community took about twoand- a-half years to complete. Jim Bond, general manager southwest of Keller CMS, Inc., the builder of the project, said the biggest challenge of the project was the permitting being sequenced with grading, foundation and building issued sequentially. Bond stated, "This is always a challenge for the building team as plans for bidding are often incomplete when procurement cycle is in full gear." This was mitigated by working closely with the design team, owner and contractor to identify and budget for design in progress. Additionally, the building was also occupied in phases, which involved much coordination with building officials. "We were able to mitigate this by close communication with various officials who ultimately prioritized our project," Bond said.

Contextually the buildings are a combination of brick, stucco and metal facades, which relate to the surrounding projects and buildings and provide residents with a different choice in relation to the market types available. Drake explained, "The project provides many choices of room types and locations with views to the surrounding hills and mountains; within the project there are various courts and function plazas designed to offer a wide variety of experiences, events and places for enhancement and joy of life." Jerry McDevitt, AIA, was principal of Mithun Architects at the time of design, and was involved in leading the project team through all phases of design through construction. McDevitt said, "The unique design of the community expresses a more modern contemporary approach, both in terms of interior and exterior design and simpler detailing." He continued, "The main project entry is centered within the urban, tree-lined auto-court ... several significant landscaped courtyards throughout the project offer the highly sought after indoors and outdoors relationship that residents of the area have enjoyed."

"We have received many positive responses from the professional, as well as the lay community for the project and its design," said Drake. Positive support was received early on due to a close working relationship with the Northridge Community Design Review Board, who provided many hours of service and input to guide the project through the neighborhood issues and desires. Additionally, the artistic decor and cohesive balance of indoor and outdoor spaces create a serene setting.

A combined community of independent and assisted living, residents can live comfortably with an abundance of activities at their fingertips. The licensed assisted living component will offer a comprehensive menu of personal assistance and care services that includes 24-hour staffing, medication assistance, and assistance with activities of daily living -- such as bathing, dressing, grooming, emergency call system, scheduled transportation and more. The community also offers an extensive array of amenities for residents such as: resort-style dining, library, fully-equipped fitness center, full-service spa and salon, arts and crafts room, an in-house movie theater; just to name a few. Within the building these same types of spaces create wonderful enjoyable places to have both privacy and social interaction, in highly-finished, traditional and contemporary styled rooms.

By enhancing the quality of life for age-qualified residents, The Village provides a sophisticated, hospitality-oriented residential environment that promotes wellness, having amenity-rich spaces and lush landscaped surroundings. The innovative, resort-style living with recreational activities offer residents a desirable destination to live.

Carina Calhoun is an editor at 50+ Builder. She may be contacted at ccalhoun1@penpubinc.com.