Some in Tempe, AZ, are questioning the wisdom of locating a senior living community on a college campus after residents of Mirabella at ASU complained about the noise and hours of operation of a nearby music venue, located in a nightlife hub.
Now, the continuing care retirement community is being blasted on social media and is the subject of numerous new one-star online reviews by those upset about the turn of events, according to the State Press.
The venue, Shady Park, since 2015 has operated under permits that allow indoor and outdoor shows until 2 a.m. seven days a week, representatives said on Twitter. They accuse the retirement community of lodging an “aggressive campaign” against it.
“Maybe building a retirement home in the heart of downtown Tempe wasn’t such a great idea,” one person said on social media as part of a #SaveShadyPark campaign.
A university spokesperson told McKnight’s Senior Living, “Arizona State University is aware of the disruption that Mirabella residents are experiencing and the rights and responsibilities of the owners of the Shady Park night club, and we are working with all parties and the city of Tempe to find a satisfactory resolution.”
The first residents moved into Mirabella at ASU in December, during a time when Shady Park was not hosting live performances due to the pandemic. Those performances recently began again after a 14-month pause.
In 2016, when the community was announced, Arizona State University said it hoped to attract older alumni and retired faculty, staff members and friends by providing lifelong learning, a continuum of healthcare services for aging adults and convenient access to performing arts, social, athletic and research activities.
The kerfuffle in Arizona comes as senior living communities open on college campuses in other parts of the country.
For instance, Broadview–Senior Living at Purchase College, in Purchase, NY, for which plans were announced in 2017, is set to open soon. And in Rome, GA, The Spires at Berry College opened last June after having been announced in 2015 and with a groundbreaking in 2018.
