Senior communities are fairly quiet. Older residents are not loud. They don’t drive much, or create a stir.
On the other hand, many of those seniors are quite active. They participate in group activities. They exercise. There’s plenty of life there.
Those characteristics can be applied to the current construction at 1141 Post Road East. There — on the former Kowalsky property, between the old Geiger’s site and the new 1177 Post Road East apartments — a new assisted living center is being built.
From the road, we can see something going on there. But it’s back near the woods. It’s quiet and low-key.
The facility is called The Residence at Westport. When it opens — the target date is next summer — it will include 96 studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments. It’s the first upscale community of its kind in town.
Artist’s rendering of the Residence at Westport.
The Residence features common rooms, a library, media room, “bistro” and dining room.
There are no set meal hours. Dining is any time between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Among the amenities: laundry and linen services, in-house maintenance, personal housekeeping. Pets are allowed.
The 3 levels of care are independent living, assisted living and “Reflections Memory Care,” for residents with dementia.
Apartments begin at $7,250 a month. The most expensive is $10,421.
The Residence at Westport is being developed by LCB Senior Living. They operate similar senior communities in Stamford and Darien, as well as Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.
A sales office is already operating, at 238 Post Road East. For more information, click here.
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No doubt there is a real need for housing of this type in Westport. But would it not have been better and smarter for it to be located closer to downtown, closer to the senior center, and closer to the library? This is a good thing which is not in the right place, and should serve as a lesson that when we fail to plan ahead, we surrender to others the right to say what our town should look like.
Right on, Lawrence!
It’s great that they are thinking of seniors but I don’t know too many seniors who can afford this facility.
It’s great that they are thinking of seniors and housing but the price tag is a bit high. I don’t know too many seniors who could afford this.
Hmmmm; let’s see; if the average rental is about $8,800, and 25% of income is spent on rent, then the retiree renting in this Tiffany of rentals, would want some $425,000 plus in income to afford a unit.
I know that pot is now legal, but can the owners be smoking enough of it to think that is a viable scenario……even in Westport.
It is easily seen from the Post Road by the way. And I don’t really see any woods. But, it is nice to finally have this amenity in Westport. We have sent too many of our neighbors up to Meadow Ridge etc. Two big questions: Is there a “buy in” charge and will they have a mini-bus service to transport residents to downtown, senior center, Church etc.? I am reluctant to give my name to their web-site – get enough bothersome calls already.
CT-With one of the nations highest death and estate taxes, with CT’s tax on social security, many seniors will leave CT and not look to stay or live in Westport. With these prices, it will be interesting to see how many actually get rented.
Bart Shuldman
Yes, it’s expensive, but at least it’s an alternative to the hell hole that is Florida.
A great way to spend your children’s inheritance.
With rent like that, it would be more affordable to stay in your own home and hire live in nursing care !
Obviously, this residence is for the rich. Who else could afford $7500 per month?
Sad, but true.
plenty of seniors can afford it. They will come from far off lands.
Wow, Richard……..should we build a wall to keep ’em out?
No doubt they’ll be rich criminals and rapists from some shit hole country.
We appreciate everyone’s interest in The Residence at Westport, and we’ll try to answer questions as they come.
We are very pleased with our location in town–of course there’s always something more “ideal” out there–but as everyone knows, Westport is a beautiful and desirable town, and you are lucky to find places that “have it all” like this one. Our philosophy is to find locations that bring life to our residents’ doorstep; that are at the transition from residential to downtown life. One of the biggest issues for seniors living at home is isolation, and so we seek sites that combine a residential feel with a sense of life happening around the community.
There is no question that assisted and memory care living can be expensive, but once you pare off the amount that you might be paying to live anywhere in such a beautiful town, it starts to make a little more sense. This community will include three meals per day at an in-house dining experience overseen by professional chefs from some of the area’s finest restaurants. It will be open 7-7, allowing residents to eat what they want, when they want.
The community will also include a broad program of educational, cultural, physical fitness (i.e. Tai Chi, yoga) and social events all day, every day, to make life rich and as active as our residents want to be. There is free transportation common spaces for media entertainment, cooking classes, wine tastings, book readings and all manner of socializing.
Beyond that, there is 24/7 staff to provide personal assistance, safety, concierge services and other help.
There are intangible values, such as an end to the loneliness that seniors can experience living at home, a reawakening of learning and creativity, a reconnection with the passions (the theater, opera, etc.) that defined residents when driving at night and general mobility was easier.
So yes, there is a cost to all of this that is not small, but there is tremendous value to be gained–much of which really cannot be quantified in dollars.
Finally, for the woman who asked, we are a straight monthly rental model, with no upfront buy-in.
We urge anyone who’s curious to stop by our leasing gallery at 238 Post Road East in Westport, or call 203-720-6272.
(and we promise, no hard sell–we’re here to provide the proper services to the right person)
While I accept Mr. Doyle’s justification of the cost of this project, (although $90,000/year virtually guarantees a lack of socio-economic diversity among residents), I do not find his defense of the location to be at all persuasive. Seniors would be better accommodated and our struggling downtown better served if this project were located within walking distance of the Senior Center, Main Street and the library. As located, more than a mile from those amenities and on the heavily trafficked Post Road, the project does not even meet the criteria stated in Mr. Doyle’s explanation. Personally, speaking as a senior and a potential resident of this type of facility, (I am 80), I would prefer something in a more central location.
I am reading your response and have 2 questions:
1) are you saying the cost drives out socio diversity? Maybe economic but that is all over CT. But Socio? Could be a bit insulting to some.
2) busses can easily take residents into town in Westport as most senior housing does. But if you want it built right next to town, please let us all know what plot of land you feel is available to build on? Just curious.
Baron’s South
Residences at Westport? Rents start at $7,000–expenses extra! Well, that keeps the riff-raff of long-serving retired Westport teachers out of town anyway…I shall stay up here in the back country…Best to all, Karl Decker (Staples 1960-1998)