The Terraces at CC Young in East Dallas lives up to its name with dramatic stair-stepped roof terraces—a unique solution designed to address zoning and site restrictions while allowing space for a new 363,000-square-foot independent living building.

Scheduled for completion in October 2025, the project is the second phase of a master plan to transform the existing campus and includes replacing three detached skilled nursing buildings with the independent living building adding amenities, and expanding an existing cultural and wellness facility to host events open to the public.

Here, designer and principal-in-charge, Grant Warner, principal at HKS (Dallas), talks about turning those issues into opportunities and how demand for intergenerational activities and amenities is driving change in the industry.

EFA: What inspired the unique planning solution for this independent living building and why was it necessary for this site?


Warner: Due to the site’s proximity to White Rock Lake, an East Dallas amenity used by cyclists, runners, and boat enthusiasts, a small but vocal group of opponents pushed for challenging height and setback restrictions. These could have severely limited, if not halted, this type of development on a highly visible corner of CC Young’s campus.

However, we realized we could make limoncello out of lemons: At various intervals, the imposed setbacks could become usable roof terraces. So, we studied how to better redistribute the roof terraces equally in between the various setback heights and distances to create even more of them.

This project faced several zoning challenges, as well. Tell us about those.

The zoning restrictions not only included strict setback requirements but also density, coverage, and an overall height limit. Like the stair-stepped roof terraces that resulted from the complex setbacks, the other restrictions were embraced as advantages.

Specifically, those restrictions helped push the building back, which consequently improved connectivity to other existing buildings on the campus. The restrictions also helped influence the design of a new meandering entrance drive, greatly improving the community’s public visibility, drive-by appeal, and arrival experience for residents and guests.

With the pressure of quantity relaxed by the limits, the owner turned their focus to quality and more resident outdoor amenities/roof terraces.

That focus on amenities includes space for free, public events. What’s the biggest challenge in incorporating public spaces into a senior living community?

One of the biggest challenges is security. The residents and their care partners always come first. So, inviting the general public into their home is always a delicate situation.

Here, to better balance these concerns with the benefits of outreach to East Dallas, the additions to the campus’ cultural center will reorient its “public face” from the internal campus central park to the main entrance.

For example, the new Welcome Center will be situated on the lowest level of the addition to face the street to greet visitors and guests. The middle level will be a new administration center, bringing distributed management functions together in a more visible and accessible location for residents, family, and staff. The change will also create much needed resident and support space elsewhere on the campus.

The third level aligns with the existing main level of the one-story existing building to get all the arts, culture, and wellness amenities on the same floor. The addition includes a larger, more flexible multi-purpose space to complement the existing one. The addition also converts the horseshoe shape of the existing building into a loop to improve flow and flexibility.

Additionally, a new multipurpose room on the third level faces the public street and utilizes an all-glass exterior wall to offer passersby a glimpse of the exciting events taking place on the campus.

Together, these moves address campus-wide security by consolidating staff, circulation, and the welcome center up front at the main entrance.

How do you anticipate the trend of building connection with surrounding communities will continue to shape senior living design?

We are seeing an increasing demand for intergenerational housing, especially in more urban mixed-use developments. There is a strong desire from some of our residents to remain in their communities—close to their families, churches, businesses, volunteer opportunities, favorite restaurants, etc.

One wonderful response to this demand is strategic partnerships with other developers, such as combining senior living with a hotel where both can share costly support and amenities spaces like production kitchens, multipurpose spaces, laundry, indoor pools, etc.

Do you expect to see more demand for expanded amenity spaces across the senior living industry?

Absolutely. Residents want and expect more experiences and support for self-directed hobbies and individual interests with less programmed activities.

We are designing enhanced dining services, for example, that offer not only great meals but experiences to go with them, such as exhibition cooking, chef’s tables, and classes.

Additionally, arts and crafts spaces are evolving into individual hobby support spaces and workshops. Amenity spaces are becoming more multiuse and less single-purposed programmed spaces.

Wellness programs are becoming more robust and demanding, while volunteering centers, which help seniors continue to participate out in the larger city and to welcome individuals/groups back into the senior living community,  are becoming more common.

Anne DiNardo is executive editor at Environments for Aging magazine. She can be reached at anne.dinardo@emeraldx.com.