May 29, 2021

By Emily Banyas

John Knox Village continued its efforts to redevelop its aging campus by breaking ground on two major projects – the Meadows II apartment building and seven new villas – and wrapping up the renovation of one of the first structures built on its more than 50-year-old campus.

“Back in May 2014, we announced a series of projects that would transform the look and feel of our campus, and, in essence, redefine the Village experience for our residents, associates and guests,” said Dan Rexroth, president and CEO of John Knox Village. “Since then, we have been working steadily on a variety of projects throughout our continuum of care that have a positive impact on all our residents and clients, regardless of where they may live on our campus or in the surrounding community.”

Construction recently started on Meadows Phase II. The 120,000-square-foot building is designed to be an extension of The Meadows, a multi-structure complex completed in 2018. Meadows II will add 52 one- and two-bedroom apartment homes to the complex’s 104 existing homes. A 52-stall underground parking garage also is being constructed with several the stalls being outfitted with charging apparatus for electric cars. The new building is being constructed by Haren Companies and will cost about $18 million. About 50% of the units have been pre-sold.

“With the sale of nearly all the homes created during the initial phase of The Meadows, we knew we needed a project that could build on the success of the popular neighborhood while concurrently completing viable projects in other areas of the continuum,” Rexroth said.

In addition to the Meadows II project, the Village also is building phase VII of its Villa Program. The villas, which are about 1,400-square-feet and feature high-end finishes, are replacing older inventory that is becoming obsolete in today’s market. The homes in each phase of the project are popular and sell quickly.

Finally, in January 2020, Village Assisted Living opened its new Westview Wing, an addition that offered 25 one-bedroom options as well as a sneak peek at the fresh new look planned for the existing building. A little over a year (and a pandemic) later, renovations of the corridors, nursing stations, activity rooms and other common areas in the original assisted living building are nearly complete. Finally, the Village Assisted Living Memory Care I common areas also received a facelift including new lighting, flooring, furniture, kitchen countertops and a fresh coat of paint.

Strategically Thinking to Enrich Lives and Build Community

“John Knox Village is a life plan community, and as such, we aim to provide beautiful homes and high-quality care and services to our residents and the other people we serve throughout the continuum of care,” Rexroth said. “We’ve been working on our plan to redefine retirement living for nearly a decade, making sure to choose projects that will propel us forward and ensure the long-term success of the Village for our residents of today and well into the future.”

Since 2014, John Knox Village has invested more than $100 million to complete a long list of projects outlined in its rolling strategic plan. In addition to the aforementioned projects, the Village has accomplished the following.
• Completion of the 52-apartment D Building and the Courtyard Commons, which features a restaurant, coffee shoppe, library, convenience store, computer kiosks, community center and meeting rooms.
• Completion of The Meadows (phase I), which consists of three apartment buildings with 104 apartments as well as two restaurants, indoor aquatics center, fitness center, activity rooms, community center and meeting rooms.
• Implementation of Service Excellence culture, a movement that inspires associates to serve residents and guests with P.R.I.D.E. (Personal Responsibility in Delivering Excellence).
• Renovation of the Village Care Center skilled nursing center to create private rooms and update the common spaces.
• Renovation of the common areas of the existing Village Assisted Living building and Village Assisted Living Memory Care 1 and construction of a new wing of assisted living apartments.
• To date, the Village has completed six phases of the popular villa program, constructing a total of 45 new homes. The project is self-funded, meaning, proceeds from the sales of the homes fund construction.

“We have been blessed because we are able to fulfill our mission of enriching lives and building community. By achieving our strategic plans, we will be able to continue to do so far into the future,” Rexroth said.