Whether they’re known as cottages, garden homes, villas, or carriage homes, the cottage model for independent living is making a return in senior living. The desirability of this product style may have been limited during the Great Recession and the ensuing housing crisis, but as boomers have entered the market and the post-pandemic malaise subsided, seniors are seeking more. Cottages offer a unique blend of independence, space, and community that today’s seniors are willing to pay for.

What drives prospective residents to choose this model? The cottage provides a balance between privacy and connectedness. Unlike apartments, cottages often have their own entrances, private yards, and personal space, offering more privacy and allowing seniors to maintain a self-sufficient lifestyle. There are also more opportunities to personalize in a cottage as opposed to an apartment.

Cottages also provide access to on-site amenities, support services, and security. Residents have access to common spaces, wellness programs, and dining services. This model allows the resident to have some of the control and less of the headache of traditional homeownership, but the added benefit of expanded amenities and services.

Many of Greystone’s current clients are seeing ongoing success with this model. Below are a few examples:

Fleet Landing at Nocatee | Ponte Vedra, FL

Building on the strong brand recognition and continuing success at Fleet Landing’s original campus in Atlantic Beach, the management team and board of directors embarked on creating its second campus in Ponte Vedra. Fleet Landing at Nocatee will include 39 cottages as well as 68 hybrid homes. The community will begin presales in Q3 of 2024.

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The Outlook at Windhaven | Plano, TX

The newest life plan community opened by Forefront Living, The Outlook at Windhaven includes 30 cottages to complement 153 independent living apartments, 32 assisted living apartments, and 24 memory care suites. The first cottage residents moved in at the end of April 2024. The cottages were the first product to sell of the community’s offerings, with 18 of the 30 occupied in the first month of opening.

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Lakeside at Waterman Village | Mount Dora, FL

The latest expansion project at Waterman Village, Lakeside at Waterman Village added 40 cottages adjacent to new independent living amenities. The cottages were the first to presell and the first to occupy.

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RiverWoods Manchester | Manchester, NH

Some providers are exploring expansions that only include independent living cottages, supplementing their residential buildings on their existing campuses. One such provider is RiverWoods Manchester, who began an expansion in 2022. The cottages have achieved 94% occupancy, with 17 of the 18 cottages sold and occupied.

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These are just a few of the Greystone clients who are seeing success with the cottage model. To learn more about how we can better align your community to current market preferences, visit our Services page.