Gig Harbor, Wash. –Redmond, Washington-based Emerald Communities is developing a new retirement community, Heron’s Key, in GigHarbor.
Upon completion, which is targeted for 2017, Heron’s Key will be GigHarbor’s first and only Type A Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) with true life care. Emerald Communities has an agreement to purchase a 17 acre site, located in the Harbor Hill area of Gig Harbor North, from Olympic Property Group. The senior living not-for-profit organization hired Des Moines, Iowa-based Life Care Services as a development consultant to assist with the process.
Plans for the $180 million campus development, which will be built in two phases, include 170 independent living apartments, 10 duplex-style cottages, 12 assisted living suites, and 45 skilled nursing private rooms — all managed by Emerald Communities. Depending on demand, additional residences and health care suites may be added at a future time.
Feasibility studies for Heron’s Key are complete, and Bremerton, Washington-based architecture firm Rice Fergus Miller, which specializes in senior housing design, is working on the community’s master plan. The project is currently going through the City of Gig Harbor’s design review process.
Beyond providing housing and medical care for seniors age 62 and older, Heron’s Key will feature walkable green space and a host of additional services and amenities, such as restaurant-style dining, a fitness center, wellness programs, and social, cultural and educational opportunities. The community will be within walking distance of the Gig Harbor YMCA, as well as near the Harbor Hill retail center which includes Costco, Target and a growing number of stores and restaurants.
Heron’s Key will be located on the south side of Borgen Boulevard, between Harbor Hill Drive and Peacock Hill Avenue. The EmeraldCommunitiesInformationCenter is located at 5727 Baker Way NW, Suite #103. For more information, visit www.theemeraldcommunities.org.
