Environments for Aging - Winter 2017 - 22

creating some of that higher-density apartment product, it enabled us to create more
open space for everyone to use. It's one of
those things where you give up a little bit of
individual green space but create a lot more
collective green space in doing so."
And the risk paid off-when preselling
began, the lofts filled up as quickly as the
cottages. "The execution is what made a
difference. They don't feel like senior living
apartments. The windows are floor-to-ceiling; they're very modern, very spacious. It's
the best condo you could find in downtown
Portland, but it happens to be built here at
Rose Villa," Byrd says.

Top: One of two restaurants at Rose Villa, Heirloom
is a fine dining option that focuses on local, seasonal
ingredients, including fruits and vegetables from
the kitchen garden. Right: For the first time in Rose
Villa's history, the CCRC offers units on second and
third floors. The loft apartments in the Town Center
are modeled after urban condominiums and feature
floor-to-ceiling windows, with balconies angled to
create corner views with vistas down to the nearby
Willamette River.
22

EFAmagazine.com * Winter 2017

Street, although open to cars, is designed

Backyard construction

to be closed to serve as a social gethering
space for a street fair, farmers market, or
movie night.
Additionally, 35 loft-style apartments
were added on second and third stories
above the amenity spaces-a departure
from Rose Villa's cottages that still maintained a low profile and took advantage
of the cool, downtown vibe created.
Floor plans range from 859-square-foot
one-bedroom units to 1,552-square-foot
two-bedroom units. "It was the first time
on their campus that they had people
living on a floor above the ground, and
that was a big deal," Kimmel says. "By

The two-year execution of the project
required just as much detail and careful
planning as the design. "As a construction
project it had all the tough elements," says
Norm Dowty, principal at R+H Construction.
For example, beginning the project with the
Town Center allowed Rose Villa to address
frequent middle-of-the-night calls reporting
blown transformers or broken water lines by
replacing the campus's crumbling infrastructure located there. But that also meant
digging a pretty massive hole to do it.
From building demolition to material recycling to utility relocation and street planning,
the community was frequently brimming

STEVE WANKE

arts center with a stage. "We'd had many of
those things, with the exception of the pool,
in a much smaller form or in some odd part
of campus. So we decided what we really
needed as a successful community is to
make them the right size and put them in
the center so everyone can get to it," Byrd
says. (For more on the pool, read "Taking the
Plunge," on page 24.)
Boileau, who had no experience in senior
living prior to working with Rose Villa,
brought expertise in mixed-use development,
pedestrian-oriented communities, hospitality,
and college planning to help shape the solution. The result relies on the same elements
as a university might, with an easily walkable
campus and amenities at street level with
outside entrances, and garages tucked away
out of sight. "We wanted people to feel safe
walking up and down [the site] and not worry
about crossing roads and dealing with car
bumpers. We gave the car its place, but it's
no longer a first-class citizen," he says. To
that end, the campus relies on the pedestrian-only greenway paths that residents use to
walk between the pocket neighborhoods as
well as to the Town Center. Additionally, Main
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