Active adult developer Avenida Partners has plans to scale up its portfolio of active adult rental communities with four new ground-up projects per year. And the Newport Beach, California-based firm says that it is drawing residents away from independent living communities to its more affordable alternatives.
Avenida currently has three activec adult communities open in Oklahoma City; Franklin, Tennessee; and Lakewood, Colorado. The company also has three more communities under construction, in the Chicago suburb of Naperville; Germantown, Tennessee; and Palm Desert, California.
All told, the company hopes to start development work on four more rental communities per year, with a planned pipeline totaling at least $200 million annually, with a focus on the West, Midwest and Southeast U.S., according to Matthew May, project manager, and Robin Craig, senior vice president of sales and marketing with Avenida.
Active adult properties are gaining popularity across the senior housing industry, with a product that meets some of the demands of younger seniors while avoiding operational risks that traditional senior housing operators face. A recent survey of investors by real estate services firm CBRE (NYSE: CBG) found the property type could even disrupt industry norms if the trend continues unabated.
Looking at the pool of incoming residents to Avenida properties, it’s easy to see why the growth of this product type could impact independent living in particular.
As one might expect, the lion’s share of people moving into Avenida’s rental active adult properties are coming from single-family homes. But a sizable portion of them are moving from independent living to active adult.
Roughly 60% of Avenida’s move-ins come from people who previously lived in single-family homes, and 15% came from multifamily properties. Another 20% come from independent living.
“When we go into new markets and our rent is half that of independent living, there’s a huge value proposition to those seniors that are already in the senior housing space,” May told SHN.
The affordable nature of active adult communities — which don’t need to employ caregivers or provide the same level of service as more traditional senior living providers — is one possible reason why residents go from independent living to active adult.
Monthly rates at Avenida properties range on average between $2,100 and $2,600 per month. Residents must also pay a one-time move-in fee of $1,000.
“This product type, there’s a high value to it when people look at this compared to independent living,” Craig added. “We have to hit that sweet spot where that value stays prominent in people’s mind.”
And the model appears to be working in attracting younger residents. The average age of Avenida’s residents is in the low 70s, while the current average age of move-ins for senior living is generally accepted to be 83.
“It takes a lot of education of these customers, but when they get it, they really get it,” Craig said. “It’s an exciting time to be in this space.”
The Avenida model
As it scales up, Avenida is looking at markets where a high number of seniors are already accustomed to rental properties, such as Northern California, Colorado and parts of Tennessee.
While Solvere Living currently manages the property in Oklahoma City, Avenida Management Services — an entity the developer created — will manage the other communities as they open.
Avenida is generally looking to develop communities that have between 140 and 160 units, with amenities such as a fitness center, yoga space, club room, theater and a grab-and-go bistro. That’s not a hard rule though, as the company’s community in Lakewood has 230 units.
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Floor plans range in type and size, with a variety of one- and two-bedroom units geared toward a younger crop of older adults who might be used to larger, more roomy residences.
“They want a kitchen, living room, master bedroom with a king-sized bed and some dining space,” Craig told Senior Housing News. “It takes a lot of planning to get all that into what we feel is a little two-bedroom unit. We wish we had three-bedroom units.”
Avenida has its own wellness and resident engagement program called Five to Thrive which focuses on life activity, material security, physical and functional fitness, cognitive efficacy, and social resources.
Each community offers a slate of about eight to 10 activities a day, including fitness classes with instructors, classes and seminars, creative arts programs and resident clubs. The communities employ a concierge, who aids residents in scheduling appointments like dog-walking, dry cleaning or food catering.
Avenida also schedules some transportation services and serves a continental breakfast six days a week.
The post Avenida Plans $200M Pipeline, Draws Independent Living Residents to Active Adult appeared first on Senior Housing News.
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