Repurposing old buildings for a new use as senior housing is trending in parts of the country.
In Farmington Hills, MI, for example, the developers of Manor Senior Living plan to convert a 217-room Radisson Hotel room into 21 memory care units, 51 assisted living units and 56 independent living units, if city council approves.
Meanwhile, in Rochester, NY, an abandoned mall is destined to become a medical center. The University of Rochester Medical Center broke ground last week on an orthopedics and physical performance center at Marketplace Mall. The next step toward making the mall a multi-use facility will be the construction of a senior living complex located in the former General Cinemas theater, according to WXXI.
Not everyone is so excited about the idea of adaptive reuse of obsolete structures, however.
Delafield Common Council in Minnesota last month voted against a proposal for a senior living community at the site of a former restaurant.
“Several community members expressed concerns about the environmental impact, lack of activities within walking distance for seniors, that the large facility would contribute to sewage issues, view obstruction, increased traffic and overall size of the facility,” according to a news report.
