River Landing at Sandy Ridge High Point, North Carolina: getting into the swing.

The creative redevelopment of an existing 127-acre golf course created an outstanding site for seniors to actively age in place. More than a half-minion square feet of buildings have replaced the interior nine holes of a country club golf course, and design innovations have provided for greater access and generous views to the remaining nine holes, ponds, and woodlands at River Landing at Sandy Ridge.

The wide variety of living options and the 41,000-square-foot community building allow residents to be engaged in the full continuum of care. "The inclusion of a 25- to 30-registrant adult day care/respite program and an adjacent 75-child day care facility will meet our future multigenerational interaction goals," says Chief Administrator Toro Smith, "and our 7,800-square fool wellness center--with an Olympic-size swimming pool, exercise room, and tennis courts--is supported with programs administered by the YMCA of High Point. Their programs capitalize on our unique amenities, such as in-house golf clinics offered by local pros, which include swing analysis and exercises that integrate recreation and physical therapy."

With North Carolina now ranking number three in top destinations for retirees, this development was designed to compete with active adult communities while being sensitive to the needs of frail seniors. In the site layout, for example, nestled amid the nine remaining holes, two intimate cottage communities were formed, with additional active-lifestyle amenities. These clusters flank the main buildings to shorten the walking (or cart-riding) distance to other facilities for all the residents.

"Redeveloping a golf course is not for the faint of heart," cautions Jay Stewart, a principal at Freeman White. He explains: "The site design included challenges around the 'cut and fill' site work of the original golf course layout, which needed to be stabilized to support the new structures. We also had to deal with the increasingly bureaucratic process associated with altering environmentally regulated streams and wetlands. It's critically important for projects like this to have a realistic design and construction schedule. Many soil borings should be obtained early on, and costs/benefits of such intensive site work must be carefully weighed. Finally, keep plenty of contingency funds in your site-work budget."

C*E*N*T*E*R RIVER LANDING AT SANDY RIDGE High Point, North Carolina 

TYPE OF FACILITY/SETTING: Multilevel Care Retirement Community

CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR: Tom Smith, [phone]

OWNER/ORGANIZATION: Presbyterian Homes, Inc., of North Carolina

ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING: FreemanWhite, Inc., [phone]

INTERIOR DESIGN: Design Associates Triad, Inc., [phone]

PHOTOGRAPHY: Tim Buchman, Billy Simcox

RESIDENT CAPACITY: 142 Independent Living apts., 85 Cottages, 40 Assisted Living units, 44 Skilled Nursing beds, and 16 Special Care beds

TOTAL AREA (SQ. FT.): 547,100

CONSTRUCTION COST: $59 million

COST/SQ. FT.: $108 (average)