BY BONNIE NEWMAN DAVIS Special Correspondent
Published: January 4, 2009

Four years ago, W.W. Morris and his wife, Frances, sold their spacious split-level home and moved into Chesterfield County’s Braxton community for those 55 and older.

But Morris decided recently that his Braxton home was too much for one person after his wife died in June.

The 83-year-old wants to continue his active social life, and he’s confident that moving to the Crossings at Bon Air community off Midlothian Turnpike in Chesterfield will provide him the lifestyle he seeks.

“I went to the Crossings at Bon Air’s offices, listened to a presentation and picked up the literature,“ said Morris, a retired engineer for Adamson Co. “I discovered this was the right way to run a place.“

The Crossings at Bon Air, scheduled to open in the spring, is one of several retirement communities being built in the Richmond area for older and active seniors. Experts say they will become increasingly popular as baby boomers age.

“Folks are more independent, living longer and healthier,“ said Bruce H. Hedrick, senior vice president of development for Smith/Packett, the Roanoke-based developer of The Crossings. The company specializes in the design and development of senior housing and care development projects. It recently obtained The Windsor on Grove Avenue in Richmond and converted it from a nursing home to an assisted-living and memory-care facility.

“The rental à la carte model allows for more flexibility,“ Hedrick said.

The 17.6-acre campus for The Crossings, near the Powhite Parkway, will offer 124 independent-living apartments for rental, and 32 independent condominiums for purchase. The project also calls for 52 assisted-living units for rental, and 18 memory-care/assisted-living suites for rental.

The Crossings will offer amenities including 24-hour staffing and emergency call systems, transportation, housekeeping and maintenance service.

The studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments will have 9-foot ceilings, fully equipped kitchens, private bathrooms and ample closet space, said Joseph Roche, president of The Roche Associates Inc., a Wilbraham, Mass.-based marketing firm for senior-living and health-care facilities. Roche Associates handles marketing for Smith/Packett.

Having larger units—and closets—is appealing, he said.

“For women, that is an advantage,“ Roche said. “The units also are 30 to 40 percent larger than comparable one or two-bedroom units” in other Richmond-area retirement communities.

For example, studio apartments at The Crossings will have 750 square feet of space, compared with some units in other senior communities that have 320 square feet, Roche said.

The Crossings will require a one-time entry fee of $2,500.

Monthly rent for each apartment covers most cost-of-living expenses, including 30 meals per month, all utilities (except phone and cable), housekeeping, maintenance and numerous activities.

The Crossings’ location is ideal for Chesterfield’s growing elderly population, Roche said.

Bill Handley, a demographer for Chesterfield, said the county’s 314,000 residents will continue to experience an aging populace.

In 2000, 21,000 Chesterfield residents were 65 and older. By 2010, 33,000 people will be in that age group, and, by 2020, the number will be close to 60,000, he said.

“That’s a lot of people,“ Handley said. “Some of them will stay in their homes, and some will need different levels of care.“

Handley said that, unlike in the past, when many seniors tended to relocate to warmer climates, more now tend to remain in localities similar to Chesterfield, where advantages include mild weather and affordable living.

The Crossings project started in 1999 after research showed that South Richmond and Chesterfield were underserved with these types of senior communities, Hedrick said.

The land for the project originally was zoned for commercial or retail use.

“With a subdivision behind it, retail probably was not the best use for the area,“ Hedrick said.

The first phase of the development, The Laurels at Bon Air, opened in November 2007. The 100-bed skilled nursing facility features a state-of-the-art physical therapy gym and 32 private rooms.

A medical office building also is planned for the site.

The project’s developers say the current economic climate should not have a negative impact on rentals and sales.

A Dec. 7 open house for The Crossings drew 350 people, and so far 10 apartment units have been reserved, said Jill Anne Kuslits, director of sales and community relations for The Crossings.

In northern Henrico County, for example, the Verena at Virginia Center Commons development on Brook Road is slated to open in March, said Alexander Mabin, senior vice president for Sterling-based First Centrum, which owns Verena.

About 12.2 percent of Henrico’s 284,399 residents are 65 or older, according to the 2006 U.S. census data.

The multi-story Verena complex will offer one- and two-bedroom apartments.

A key selling point, Mabin said, will be the main building that will house a clubhouse and fitness center. The average age of residents will be 70-plus, although some will be younger, he said.

Verena’s apartments will offer full designer kitchens, 9-foot ceilings and a washer and dryer. Someunits will have patios and balconies.

Other features include community activities, restaurant-style breakfast and lunch, housekeeping and maintenance services.

Most important, Mabin said, is that Verena will reflect the lifestyle in which today’s seniors are accustomed.

“We’re trying to get around period furnishings and classical pictures on the walls,“ he said. “Residents want more contemporary accessories. They like granite countertops and crown molding. We’re making it new and reflective of the values and qualities they have in their homes.“