About Canterbury Court

Located in the historic Brookhaven neighborhood of Atlanta, Canterbury Court opened its doors in 1965 as Atlanta’s first non-profit life plan community. Sponsored by two local Episcopal churches, the original physical plant contained just 62 independent living apartments but grew into a full continuum life plan community consisting of 192 independent living apartments, 18 assisted living apartments, and 44 skilled nursing beds. As many continue to question whether single-site communities can thrive in the increasingly complex environment, Canterbury Court planned to take proactive steps to respond to changing consumer preferences and create a solid plan for the future.  

Canterbury Court started with an update to its strategic plan.  Through the development of the strategic plan, the organization established a strategic guiding statement to provide mission and market driven programs and services, meeting the highest expectations of an active senior living community structured and scaled to be economically efficient and financially sound.  Key objectives of the plan included targeted investments in facilities, technology and human resources to maintain and/or advance market position; incorporation of opportunities to expand services to seniors of lesser means; and enhanced, state-of-the-art wellness, healthcare and memory care services.

Greystone and Canterbury Court

As Canterbury Court embarked on developing a plan to achieve its strategic objectives, it quickly became clear that the organization’s 60-year-old campus and its existing healthcare units were no longer market relevant. Most of the assisted living units were small, 350-square-foot apartments, and half of the nursing beds were semi-private rooms, with the private rooms not having private baths.  Working together with its board and Greystone, Canterbury Court devised the “Enrichment Project” that would enhance its services, offer person-centered care in a new health center, introduce memory support services on its campus and create additional residential options that respond to market need and offset the financial burden of replacing existing healthcare apartments and investing in technology and human resources.

The plan for the Enrichment Project included the acquisition of approximately two acres adjacent to the existing campus for the construction of a new healthcare center, construction of a new independent living tower, expansion and renovation of the existing common area amenities and conversion of the existing assisted living and nursing floors to additional independent living.

“Greystone has been our industry experts, guiding us through this entire project,” said President and CEO Debi McNeil. “They were absolutely instrumental in our ability to visualize the project from the beginning.”

The Outcomes

Construction on the Enrichment Project started in September 2021 and the expansion and redevelopment of Canterbury Court opened in stages throughout the third quarter of 2023. The results included:

• Monarch Pavilion (new healthcare) containing 42 assisted living apartments, 21 memory support assisted living apartments, and 40 private nursing apartments
• State-of-the-art, 10,000 square foot memory garden (The Butterfly Garden) off the memory support neighborhood
• Ten-story Garden Tower and Veranda Apartments (independent living) resulting in 103 new independent living apartments
• Renovated dining areas, common areas and existing independent living balconies
• 8,500 square foot terrace (The Overlook) with garden views, a greenhouse, a bocce ball court, putting greens and more
• Enhanced and expanded gardens
• Renovated second and third floor in existing tower resulting in 27 new independent living apartments  
• Improved resident experience throughout the continuum of services

Since opening in early September 2023, independent living occupancy has exceeded 70% and memory support is full - all in just five months.

To learn more about Greystone’s project advisory services, visit our Services page.