Accessibility, 'aging in place' guide Grow Community design
The most comfortable retirement home is your own home.
On this point, older Americans widely agree: three-quarters surveyed say their number one goal is to stay in their own home as long as possible, in the familiar environment of connections, routines, heirlooms, memories, and friendships.
Independent living is a primary concern for both the older generation and their adult children, studies show.
"Aging in place" has become the mantra for "baby boomers" and those who follow, describing a long-term goal once aspirational and now, at Grow Community, quite reachable.
"From a real estate perspective, we are seeing that boomers are a group that expect sustainability, community, and simplicity and wish to live those values," says Greg Lotakis, Grow Community development manager. "I believe that many of our buyers want to 'live intentionally in a community,' and it seems they are choosing to invest in a place where they can enjoy aging in place while living intentionally."
Maintaining a healthy generational mix is a foundational goal of the Grow project.
Helping residents age in place -- and keeping older homeowners an active, vital part of the social blend -- guides the layout and amenities. Long-term accessibility is being built into new Grove and Park neighborhoods from the ground up.
That starts with single-level living in most units, keeping bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms and utility spaces united on a single floor. Residents will have no cumbersome trips up and down stairs through the day.
On the outside, elevators connect underground parking areas with the entryways of each home.
Asani LLC, hired to develop Grow Community, worked to provide as much of the accessibility options into the design as possible. Features like Walk-in showers large enough for seating, open floor plans with minimal hallways, and taller comfort toilets are standard design elements at Grow Community. These can be enjoyed at any age and have been identified as key to independent living.
Grow Community is in the vanguard among residential projects bringing innovative strategies for independent living to market.
Situated in the heart of Winslow town center, Grow homes are close to grocers, restaurants, merchants and professional services, eliminating the need for regular automobile use.
A community center will allow neighborhood activities, while being flexible enough to fit the communities own programming desires. The eight-acre grounds boast spacious community gardens and gathering places.
Together these amenities fulfill goals identified by Congress in 2006 with reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, which urged locally based initiatives to meet aging citizens' needs including services, social opportunities and recreation.
"It's all part of our goal to create an intergenerational community, which has been our thinking from the beginning," Lotakis says.
Aging in place also makes sense for seniors for whom long-term financial independence is a paramount concern.
The average cost of residence in an assisted living facility, for one bedroom and single occupancy, is approaching $40,000 per year, the Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons reports - a prohibitive amount for fixed-income seniors, who have already spent years building up equity in their own home.
The multigenerational family under one roof is another American trend.
A significant number of older residents have had a grown son or daughter, often with children of their own, move back in. In these families, the younger generations themselves become a resource for aging in place - not an option if their elders have moved into retirement homes or assisted living facilities.
With spacious two- and three-bedroom floor plans, Grow Community's new Grove and Park neighborhoods anticipate these needs for a range of homebuyers, beginning with those in middle age who are looking to downsize and settle in for the long term.
For those already in their senior years, Grow Community offers some very good reasons to move just one more time.
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The Grove is wrapping up, now on to the Park
Summer finds us buttoning up - that is, putting the finishing touches on Grow Community's second neighborhood, the Grove.
Setting the pace is the Juniper at the north end of the grounds. New residents are now moving in, and the rooftop solar system is online and producing energy to offset the building's needs. The largest planned solar community in Washington state keeps raising the bar!
The Tsuga now has its roof, with siding following in short order. Before July ends the building will look finished from the outside as work turns inward, with completion and move-in dates set for fall.
The Woodland Homes at the south end of the Grove are nearing completion and should be finished by August. All of our buyers to date are adding solar, and you could be next - one home remains available, with an expansive 400 sf. outdoor deck among its many fine features and appointments.
And if you've not visited the Grove lately, you've missed the generous plantings that give this neighborhood its name. Landscape touchup is slated for the end of summer as the swath of young trees and shrubs begin to settle in for the cooler months.
Attention now turns to our third and final neighborhood, the Park. Work has commenced on the Sage and Lilac, where foundations are underway and should be completed by the end of this month - framing to follow, and pre-sales to be announced soon as well.
Intrigued? Why wait! Comfortable and inviting units are still available for purchase throughout the Grove. Three-bedroom homes are available for move-in today, with more 2-bedroom units coming online this fall.
Rentals, too: 2- and 3-bedroom units in the Juniper are ready immediate move-in. Visit Grow Community and see our model home today!
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It takes a lot of work to make sustainability simple.
But making the choice of a low-impact lifestyle easy for buyers was the goal at Grow Community from the very start.
In an article titled "We Only Have One Planet," Reserve Magazine explores the history of Washington's largest planned solar community, and the thoughtful features that have earned it the prestigious One Planet Living certification. Read the whole story online here. 
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INTERESTED IN LIVING AT GROW COMMUNITY?
We still have room for you
Great opportunities to purchase and rent are still available in the Grove & Park neighborhoods with their mix of single-level homes, townhomes and single-family residences. With beautifully designed, ultra-efficient solar homes, the Grove & Park set a new standard for healthy, sustainable living.
Please contact our sales & leasing team for more details and to set up an appointment to view our model home: 206.452.6755 | live@growbainbridge.com
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