By Corina Vanek | Arizona Republic
Artist rendering of proposed senior living project at Scottsdale & Osborn Roads. Empire Group
Most apartments built recently in Old Town Scottsdale were made to cater to younger adults, but one Valley developer is trying something different: senior living.
“This is one of the first, what I’ll call urban, walkable, 55-plus retirement communities,” Randy Grudzinski, head of capital markets for Scottsdale-based Empire Group, said. “There are other really nice, 55-plus active adult and assisted living communities, but they’re all really a drive. This is a walkable, urban environment for someone who wants to live in Old Town.”
Empire Group is planning to redevelop a site at Scottsdale and Osborn roads into an age-restricted apartment complex that will include independent, or active adult, options, assisted living and a small portion of memory care units. An Olive Garden restaurant is currently on the site, but that is scheduled to close at the end of this year and development for the new project will start in the beginning of 2024, Grudzinski said.
because of the nearby walkable amenities, and the location near the HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center.
“Old Town is the cultural, art and dining center of the Valley,” Grudzinski said.
But so far, most of the housing is geared to a different demographic, he said.
“A lot that’s been built there is for the millennial crowd,” Grudzinski said. “By making it age restricted, we are giving them an option they don’t have in a brand-new product in Old Town.”
The project is the first for Empire Group in the senior and assisted living space, Grudzinski said. An arm of Empire Group is the developer of the planned Astra Project in downtown Phoenix, which aims to build the tallest tower in Arizona. The developer has built several other luxury apartments in downtown Phoenix, along with several single-family rental developments.
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