Work is underway on a complex in northwest Red Deer that will provide accommodation for those in need of supportive living housing, and a pretty good dining option for everyone else.
The Gardens at Hwys 2 & 11 will consist of 210 suites designed for people in need of basic assistance with tasks like cleaning and laundry. The four-storey building at 6845 66th St. will also contain a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, which will serve residents and members of the general public.
Toby Lampard, one of the partners involved in the joint-venture development, said the building will have one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites, as well as units with a bedroom and a den. All will come with cooking facilities, and a washer and dryer.
Amenities will include an exercise room, a library area with computers, a lounge and TV rooms, said Lampard. Both underground and surface parking are planned.
Residents will be able to access the level of support they require, with staff on site 24 hours a day.
These may not have medical certification, he said, but home-care assistance through Alberta Health Services could be arranged.
There are nearly 500 Perkins Restaurant & Bakery outlets in the United States and Canada, including one each in Calgary and Medicine Hat.
Lampard thinks the restaurant is well-suited for the older residents who will occupy The Gardens at Hwys 2 & 11.
“It’s a family restaurant with a baking bias,” he said, predicting that the three nearby hotels will also generate diners.
Lampard thinks there is a strong local demand for the type of housing to be offered by The Gardens at Hwys 2 & 11.
It will be an alternative to the upper-scale Masterpiece seniors complexes in Inglewood and Aspen Ridge, he said, but without the “glitz and glamour.”
“Our target market isn’t quite as affluent, and our prices will reflect that.
“We’re not going to have as many amenities to pay for.”
Most of the suites in The Gardens at Hwys 2 & 11 will be sold directly to occupants, said Lampard. Others will be available as rental units, and some will likely be offered under a life-lease arrangement through which tenants will pay a large deposit and then reduced rents thereafter.
The development will be built in two phases. The first, consisting of 110 units and the restaurant, is expected to be completed by the spring os 2011.
“We want the restaurant beforehand,” said Lampard.
The second, 100-unit phase will be added to the same building. Timelines for its completion will depend on demand for suites in the first phase, he said.
The project received approval from Red Deer’s municipal planning commission last July.
At that time, Lampard estimated its cost at about $23 million for the first phase and $20 million for the second.
Those figures remain accurate, he said on Tuesday.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com