A Greenwood senior living facility is embarking on a nearly $100 million expansion to provide more space and amenities to its residents.
Greenwood Village South, or GVS, is planning to expand and update its campus by adding new and upgraded amenities, along with adding more independent living housing. GVS officials say the expansion will also dramatically improve two levels of care the 62-year-old facility provides: assisted living and memory care.
Officials are calling this the “next generation” of senior living.
“What this expansion is going to do is … revitalize the campus,” said Jordan Morrow, executive director.
For the expansion, GVS plans to build 66 new independent living “hybrid” homes in the form of six new buildings on the west side of the property near the main entrance on U.S. 31. The homes will be a hybrid between a cottage and an apartment, Morrow said.
A new entrance to Greenwood Village South’s central building, the oldest building on the campus, will be built on the side facing U.S. 31. It will feature a reception area, three multipurpose rooms, a salon, a new library, a new mail room, a new transitional dining hall, a new lounge, a new wellness center, a new indoor pool and natatorium and a new 280-seat auditorium, Morrow said.
Currently, the facility has a 140-seat meeting room, which is not enough room for both employees and residents, he said.
Outside, there will be new outdoor activities, including pickleball and bocce ball courts. There will also be a new courtyard, though exact features are still being determined, Morrow said.
To the northeast of the central building, GVS plans to build a new assisted living/memory care building. This building will be connected to the central building so residents can visit each other, he said.
This building will also have its own salon, dining room, wellness center, meeting room and family room, Morrow said.
The site of the planned assisted living and memory care building is currently occupied by six cottage-style homes. These will be demolished, but GVS plans to rebuild three cottages nearby to offset some of the population changes, Morrow said.
Near the eastern edge of the property in the cottages area, GVS also plans to build a small clubhouse with a kitchen, bathroom, dining area and living area. Residents will be able to reserve it for small gatherings, he said.
The clubhouse is designed so residents can host a gathering for their family members at the facility instead of traveling offsite.
“We want them to bring their family and friends here,” Morrow said.
Another major part of the project will be adding a new access point to U.S. 31. A new road will be built to the south, connecting to Apryl Drive via the stoplight at U.S. 31, Morrow said.
“That’s been on the radar for a long time. It’s a safety issue,” he said. “The intersection is very dangerous, especially for seniors, so getting a signalized intersection and access to one is imperative to our longevity.”
Additionally, the current entrance on U.S. 31 will be revamped by adding a secure entrance and new signage, he said.
The final project investment is still being determined, but Morrow says it’s expected to be somewhere between $90 and $95 million in total once it’s complete.
The expansion has been in the works since late 2021, when LCS Development — a development consultant — did a master planning exercise with the facility. Residents and other stakeholders were polled about what the future of GVS should be, said Dan Novelli, senior project development manager for LCS Development.
The culmination of these efforts was finished in late 2022, and are what led to the expansion plans, Novelli said.
Residents who live at GVS, of which there are over 450, have been very curious and very invested in what’s going on. Since the beginning, staff have been working to make sure they are a part of the conversation about the plans, Morrow said.
“This isn’t new construction for new people. It’s new and upgraded construction for the entire community,” he said. “Honestly, the residents have really gotten behind it and they’re really excited about a lot of the new features that we’ll be bringing on board.”
Staff members are also “overwhelmingly excited” about the project.
“It’s a huge change for the campus and so, with 325 employees, they all know about it, and they always want to see the newest, latest and greatest updated drawings,” he said.
Construction for the expansion will not begin any time soon. Right now, GVS is in the pre-sales and planning stages for the project, Morrow said.
“With the planning stages that we’re in now and how that pans out, it’s roughly a 18-month construction duration,” he said.
The expansion will not only grow the population GVS serves, but it will also bring a higher-quality of life to residents, Morrow said.
Their residents are one of the most vulnerable demographics, and the staff’s goal is to provide them with a high quality of life when they’re independent and to provide compassionate care as residents grow older, he said.
“That’s what senior living should be,” Morrow said. “It’s not grandma’s nursing home. Senior living should be high-quality (with) a lot of compassion, and hospitality. A lot of senior living is that way, but people don’t know that.”
Expanding is the next step for GVS to continue providing that care and compassion, Novelli and Morrow said.
“This is what we’ve done over the last 60 years. These are accomplishments, these are accolades. This is the reputation that we’ve built,” Morrow said. “And now this development is setting us up for the same level of success for the next 60 years. So it’s a springboard into the next generation of GVS.”
