Over-50 market drives senior housing changes

Consumers 50 years of age and older are transforming the housing industry and changing the concept of active adult and traditional housing communities for seniors. The National Association of Home Builders 2005 Best of Senior Housing Awards, announced Jan. 13 in conjunction with the International Builders Show, highlighted some of the newest architectural, design and marketing trends in senior housing.

According to members of the NAHB Seniors Housing Council, active adult communities have evolved greatly over the past decade. While site-built single-family attached and detached homes are still the preferred housing type, for-sale, age-qualified multifamily condominiums have emerged as a favorite among active adults.

“Builders also seem to be building small or midsize communities and more of them in close-to-home locations,” said Bill Parks, a juror for the Best of Seniors Housing Awards Committee, in an NAHB news release. “Almost three-quarters of the active adult communities built in 2004 were in states outside the Sun Belt. This is a trend that will continue to gain momentum.”

A growing number of consumers also want to live in communities that are closer to urban centers or are connected to the surrounding community.

The service-enriched side of the industry, which includes independent living and assisted living, has experienced major changes. Among the hottest trends is the demand for communities in mid to high-rise buildings in dense urban settings.

“In the past, builders created communities that were far from the urban core,” said Richard Rosen, a Silver Spring, Md.-based architect and chairman of the 2005 Best of Seniors Housing Awards Committee. “Placing seniors in greenfield sites away from the city or even their former suburban neighborhoods doesn’t meet the needs of today’s buyers. They want to take advantage of the city’s offerings as well as maintain contact with family and friends, attend their places of worship and continue to work.”

Other trends include communities that embrace regional and ethnic traditions, capitalize on natural surroundings and incorporate sustainable design.

“Builders are including features like stepless entries, wider doorways and other features, not to mention providing more space in the kitchen and bath along with universal designed cabinets and fixtures,” Rosen said.

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