Originally opened in 1990, the Fleet Landing continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Atlantic Beach, Fla., needed a major update to stay competitive.
“The growth in age- and income-qualified seniors in our primary market over the last few years was the impetus for expanding our housing capacity,” says Joshua Ashby, CEO of Fleet Landing.
But what came next wasn’t only about adding units; Ashby says the organization also wanted to make investments that would help the community better respond to the evolving preferences of prospective residents—particularly younger residents—regarding amenities such as dining and fitness offerings.
To accommodate the desired expansion as well as future growth, an adjacent wooded area and vacated shopping center were acquired. The added parcels would provide room for the planned expansions as well as help Fleet Landing begin to realize its larger vision.
Mapping out new amenities at Fleet Landing
Specifically, the community had two existing commons buildings, the Windward Commons and the Coleman Center, with no physical or visible connection, as well as duplicative dining offerings in both.
In 2015, a project team, including AG Architecture (Wauwatosa, Wis.), interior designer/art consultant Studio 121 (Nashville, Tenn.), food service designer Scopos Hospitality Group (Ephrata, Pa.), and landscape architect Burke Design Inc. (Atlantic Beach, Fla.), was brought on to create and execute a plan to address those deficiencies.
“We all worked together to undertake a multipronged strategy to add amenities and also update existing facilities at Fleet Landing to make it competitive with other offerings in the area,” says Eric Harrmann, AG Architecture’s chief design officer.
Senior living campus transformation
That effort began with adding residential units, including 142 independent living (IL) units to the existing 358; 36 assisted living (AL) units to the previous 80; and 30 skilled nursing spaces to the existing 64. (The number of memory care units remained unchanged, at 24.)
The new IL units are in a building dubbed Beacon Pointe, which features a five-story central structure with three-story wings on both sides. Additionally, the skilled nursing and AL units are placed in a new, smaller three-story building on the opposite side of the site.
Updated dining accommodations
The second major element of the expansion/renovation project included replacing the dining options in the two commons buildings with a new facility for a dining-oriented Main Street Marketplace. The new complex’s exterior is designed to resemble a community gazebo.
Inside, the 12,000-square-foot space is anchored by a central kitchen surrounded by four distinct dining options: 30° North (a full-service, fine dining experience), The Retreat at 30° North (a private-dining cluster), Currents Marketplace (a fast-casual eatery), and Meridian Lounge (a casual bar.)
“Our objective was to create branded dining destinations like those popular in many of today’s mixed-use developments, each having their own identity and experiences, all served by a centralized kitchen that provides efficiencies for servicing multiple venues,” says Andrey Teleguz, principal of Scopos Hospitality Group.
Making room for fitness facilities
The third major element of the expansion involved upgrading and adding to the community’s fitness offerings in the existing Windward Commons building. That process began by tearing out an existing indoor pool and covering it over, as well as removing a small grab-and-go dining facility.
These steps freed up enough space to create a roomier workout area, with multiple studio spaces and a large activity room for ping-pong.
Other changes to the building included dedicated areas for art and continuing education classes and adding space for a raised stage in the existing auditorium to improve visibility for audiences.
Meanwhile, a new indoor pool was housed in a 6,000-square-foot, two-story addition on one side of the Windward building. The space’s numerous windows let in large amounts of natural light, which creates a more energizing experience than the previous pool and its mainly artificial lighting, Harrmann says.
The project’s fourth and final phase involved creating a series of paved paths with adjoining benches, green spaces, and shade trees that interconnects all the main elements—new and old—within Fleet Landing’s 127-acre campus. The result, Harrmann says, is a “walkable urban environment” that’s highly prized by today’s fitness-oriented younger seniors.
Interior design strategy
Furthermore, the project team sought to counteract the “new resident versus the long-standing resident rivalry” that can occur when new apartments and amenity spaces are added to an existing community, says Rachelle DeGeorge, principal at Studio 121, which handled the interior design.
“That included developing a color palette that could be explored and applied to both existing and new-build spaces,” she says.
As a result, the exteriors of the new Beacon Pointe residential complex and Windward Commons addition match the brown-and-white stucco palette of the existing complex. Additionally, DeGeorge says she was inspired by the concept of the region’s “coastal elegance.” This resulted in a palette of soft neutrals and soothing blue tones in the interiors of both new spaces and many of the existing ones. (Of the project’s $74.5 million price tag, about $2 million was dedicated to renovations.)
“The idea behind such steps is to enhance a sense of unity and overall community pride and excitement,” she says.
To create distinctive environments for each dining venue within the open floor plan in the Main Street building, the project team utilized multiple variations of the community’s brown and white color palette, DeGeorge says.
Additionally, custom ceiling features were installed at each venue that complemented the design themes beneath them. For example, at the grab-and-go area, a ceiling design offers multilayered cylindrical shapes and coffers that complement the curved chair backs, angled millwork, and a Mondrian-style feature wall, she says.
In addition, eye-level design elements specific to each restaurant were created to engender a distinct vibe for each dining concept. The private dining area, for instance, seeks to provide a quiet sanctuary by incorporating a variety of natural materials, such as grass-cloth wallcovering and rattan seating.
Welcoming reception
Fleet Landing’s Ashby is a big fan of the renovation/expansion. He notes that it’s not only helped keep the community at full occupancy, but also created a waiting list of about 400 families.
He’s especially delighted with the reception the fitness and dining upgrades have received from existing residents, as well as prospective ones in the younger age category the community is targeting.
“Our fitness center is better than most national gym brands, and we’ve had several residents change from using an off-site workout facility to ours,” he says. “In addition, many residents have told our team that our fine-dining experience is the best meal they’ve ever had. That’s quite a compliment.”
Matthew Hall is a freelance writer/editor based in Cincinnati. He can be reached at [email protected].
