New kind of senior living: ASU wants retirement community on Tempe campus
Apr 13, 2016, 5:15 AM | Updated: 12:58 pm
A rendering of what the senior living complex would look like. (Arizona State University Photo)
(Arizona State University Photo)
Arizona State University is looking to put a new twist on senior living in Arizona by opening a retirement community on a college campus.
The university wants to build a new apartment complex for retirees at the corner of Mill Avenue and University Drive in Tempe. The plan is for 230 independent living units and 60 assisted living units. The community will be geared to older residents who want to stay close to the university and remain engaged in a younger environment.
Randy Levin, senior vice president at the ASU Foundation, said there will be several amenities like casual dining, a health club and a game room. He said there will be healthcare services in the complex. They are in discussions with the Mayo Clinic to have doctors on site.
“You can either go downstairs, and there’s a doctor right there,” Levin said. “Better yet let’s say you don’t want to get out of bed, you pick up the phone and your Mayo doctor will come right up to see you.”
He said residents will also get a Sun Card, or a student ID. They will be able to use the ASU library and can take classes. There will also be an auditorium in the facility where classes can take place.
“Any of the residents can go there and audit the classes and sit in on any of the classes there as well,” Levin said.
Levin also sees this new retirement community as a great way for students to learn from the older residents and lean on them for help and guidance.
“It’s very, very touching to think that you can go to school (and) have someone to lean on (and) talk to,” Levin said. “They’re not asking for anything. They want to be needed and be wanted and be able to contribute.”
Right now, Levin said they want to gauge the level of interest and will hold focus groups to see what residents want out of this community. Construction would begin in 2018, with the complex opening up in 2020.
For those interested in learning more or living in the new retirement community, call 1-844-542-6061. You can also find out more about the project by clicking here.
