As life expectancy rises, the need to design for aging populations becomes increasingly apparent. This need is made even more acute as more households come to depend on two adult income-earners, leaving fewer people able to care for elderly family members. Hayes Barton Place, a new Life Plan Community, offers a glimpse into how planners and engineers are designing more options for seniors.
Envisioned by Liberty Senior Living, Hayes Barton Place will occupy a picturesque site nestled in the middle of Hayes Barton neighborhood, just a short walk from shops and restaurants.
It will consist of 214 residences in two main buildings: an independent living community and a memory care assisted living community.
Liberty Senior Living selected the Oberlin Road location and a Georgian architectural style because they wanted to create a sophisticated retirement community that blends seamlessly with the surrounding historic neighborhood. Hayes Barton residents seeking to transition from private homes to a vibrant continuing care environment will feel immediately at home in their new one-, two-, or three-bedroom residence.
As Liberty’s planning consultant, WithersRavenel has focused on weaving together outdoor spaces, landscaping, and programming to attract and engage residents at a variety of activity and mobility levels.
Athletic types will have access to pickleball, bocce, and a putting green, while those with a green thumb can tend to the rooftop garden.
Pet owners and animal lovers will rejoice: some pets will be allowed at Hayes Barton Place, meaning residents will not need to be parted from their four-legged companions. Open space will be provided for pet exercise.
Outdoor courtyards, a restaurant, a patio with bar, a fire pit, and a grilling station will provide focal points for informal gatherings and socializing.
These amenities are aimed at encouraging everyone to take an active role in the community. By giving residents choices, Liberty hopes to foster new relationships, promote memory-making, and prevent the loneliness that can set in when retirees leave their established social circles and routines.
In addition, many of the design and material choices reflect the physical needs of aging adults. For example, wide, smooth pathways throughout the site improve mobility. Some paths are as wide as eight feet across, giving walkers plenty of room to pass each other without having to turn aside or step onto a less stable surface.
A combination of landscaping and shade structures will protect residents from the elements as the seasons change. Trees and overhangs that offer respite from the summer heat are carefully balanced against sunny spots to draw people outside on cooler fall and winter days.
Landscaping also helps to provide a buffer between Hayes Barton Place and a busy public street.
Because the memory care units house individuals who may experience impaired memory or judgment, these unit have more restricted access to outdoor spaces to prevent residents from wandering and protect them from possible injury.
Incorporating all of these design considerations has been no mean feat, especially since the site is only about seven acres and is surrounded by a fully developed neighborhood. WithersRavenel proposed the installation of a large retaining wall close to a property line and an underground stormwater solution to maximize the available space and allow room for substantial buildings and the expansive amenities list.
WithersRavenel provided civil engineering, surveying, stormwater, and a host of landscape architecture services to help Liberty Senior Living realize an empowering vision for senior living. We also created a highly detailed 3D site model while the project was in its early stages to help stakeholders visualize the community.
Hayes Barton Place is set to open in 2024.
If you are interested in learning more about Hayes Barton Place, click here to view the community website. To put WithersRavenel’s talented professionals to work for you, contact Landscape Architecture Manager Daniel Whatley at (919) 238-0312 or dwhatley@withersravenel.com.