By Jay Cook |
SHREWSBURY – As construction crews piece together the foundation, the newest senior living facility in Shrewsbury looks like it will be open for business by the end of the year.
The Chelsea at Shrewsbury, a three-story, 77,130-square-foot, “luxury senior living” complex is being built from the ground up at the corner of Patterson and Shrewsbury avenues.
With 85 units and up to 110 beds planned for the housing center at 515 Shrewsbury Ave., the Chelsea Senior Living’s director of business development Chris Slavicek said it will offer exactly what seniors want as they age in place – complimentary transportation services, a 24-hour emergency system and staff availability and three restaurant-style meals per day.
The property is owned by Capitol Senior Housing. Chelsea Senior Living will run the day-to-day operations.
In total, there will be 52 private pay, assisted living units, 27 memory care units for Alzheimer’s disease patients and six Medicaid units with 11 beds. Residents will have exclusive access to amenities like weekly housekeeping and laundry service, a health and wellness program with a registered nurse, a full-service beauty salon and social, cultural, spiritual and recreational activities.
And on the inside, “It will have stylish décor and those cutting-edge trends that are certainly really attractive to the seniors,” Slavicek said.
The entire 4-acre property is almost fully under construction. Framing crews have begun forming the skeleton and retaining walls are built behind the property.
Paperwork filed during the approval process with Shrewsbury’s zoning board last year shows the $29.3 million facility will have residents with an anticipated average age of 86. It also stated that the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease will grow from 5.1 million in 2010 to 13.5 million in 2050, and that the 85-and-older age group is the fastest growing age segment in America.
Slavicek said that’s what made Shrewsbury an attractive location for another Chelsea Senior Living center.
“As people age in place we want to provide that safe environment for seniors,” he said.
The property was formerly the location of the Shrewsbury Manor Nursing Home, which shuttered in 2011. A roof collapsed in that two-story facility in 2011, destroying approximately 15 beds. The former Shrewsbury Manor was in business for 65 years.
This article was first published in the Feb. 8-15, 2018 print edition of The Two River Times.
