A Friendly Place to Retire/Friendship Village Expands to Meet New Demands

摘要

A Tempe retirement community is readying itself for the first wave of retiring baby boomers with plans to expand and update its campus. Nearly 25 years after they built the original campus, crews from The Weitz Cos. are installing the final touches on a new health center and assisted- living quarters at Tempe's Friendship Village. Work on the 155,000-sq.-ft project began in January 2003, with the first, 50 million dollars phase completed in June. A second, 30 million dollars phase is scheduled to start this summer and finish in spring 2006. That phase consists of a five-story building with an underground parking lot. The retirement community offers everything from minimally assisted living arrangements all the way to end- of-life care through a contract with Hospice of the Valley. Other components include an Alzheimer's wing and a skilled nursing division. The new project features a total of 166 beds, with 24 beds designated for Alzheimer care and 14 beds for hospice care. The rest are skilled nursing.