Affordable senior living projects integrated into thriving communities can have a positive impact on residents and society, according to EFA Conference speakers Dodd Kattman, principal at MKM Architecture + Design (Fort Wayne, Ind.), and Simon Ha, partner, at architectural firm Steinberg Hart (Los Angeles).
The pair presented the session “Affordable Housing Strategies That Promote Personal Well-Being and Success,” at the 2023 EFA Conference + Expo, April 15-18 in Charlotte, N.C.
“Housing is one of the most important parts of the equation, but housing alone cannot provide the support for wellness and success,” said Ha. “Housing must be part of the larger community that can support a positive outcome through services, jobs, multimodal transportation, great schools, and recreation amenities such as parks and open space. It takes a village, a holistic approach, to promote wellness and personal success.”
According to Ha, the design-build community needs to think in various scales starting from holistic neighborhood planning, creating housing communities with a mix of people and complementary uses, and being part of a larger community.
Planning an affordable housing community
“The biggest challenge with affordable housing development is neighborhood resistance we often label NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard),” said Ha. “The community has to be engaged in the design and development process in order for the new development to become part of the larger community with benefits that can improve the entire community.”
For Santa Clara Agrihood, a 55+ sustainable senior living project in Santa Clara, Calif., designed by Steinberg Hart, a series of community meetings were held by the project team and city to inform the public. As a result, the project’s design was informed by community feedback.
The 261,000-square-foot project, scheduled to open this summer, combines affordable senior, family, and market-rate housing, and a 1.5-acre demonstration farm, which will be operated by a third-party urban farming company.
“This community is focused on addressing the rising need for affordable senior housing and promoting physical and mental longevity through outdoor activities and therapeutic gardening,” Ha explained. “The farm will be open to the public and schools where kids can learn about sustainable farming in an urban setting.”
Also planned are recreational space, a café, and a shed with walk-in refrigerators, vegetable washing station, and spaces for classes. A community room will be open for residents as well as the general public who want to conduct business or have a party.
In addition, 2Life Communities (Brighton, Mass.) is developing integrated senior affordable housing and supportive care in the Boston area. “Construction is underway, so we won’t have any evidence-based data on post occupancy valuations for a while, but they look very promising,” Kattman said.
Amenity spaces for senior living
From his experience designing multifamily housing, Ha said the program and space should be designed to help create “serendipitous encounters.” “We design areas with heavy-foot traffic such as lobbies and mail rooms to encourage lingering,” he said. “A sense of community happens when you become familiar with neighbors. … In an apartment community, our goal is to design for more encounters. You may see someone in the mail room a dozen times. Once you become familiar with a face, it may lead into a hello and eventually lead into a conversation.”
Community gardens are one amenity that Ha has seen work well on projects, including senior housing.
“For seniors especially who are home most of the time, this becomes an active recreation and a spectator one,” he said. “Combine this with the club house with chairs spilling out toward the garden or fitness center with outdoor yoga deck, you can start to amplify the potential encounters and interactions. And with the food they harvest, it can often lead to a community event.”
Tracey Walker is managing editor of Environments for Aging. She can be reached at [email protected].
