First-of-its
kind senior community in Victoria offers joyous and inclusive living with
state-of-the-art villas and apartments
Victoria, Minn. – A new housing community in Victoria,
Minnesota is the first of its kind in the U.S. and is now accepting residence
applications. Bethesda Cornerstone Village Victoria, at 1519 82nd St.,
Victoria, MN, is a Christian community offering “joyous living” with
state-of-the-art apartment homes and villas to adults 55+ and independent adults
with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The community will open its
doors Sept.1.
“This
beautiful housing community celebrates independence and brings people together
in a fulfilling, comfortable lifestyle,” said Tom Campbell, Bethesda’s vice
president of real estate. “Both
seniors and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities struggle to
find high-quality, accessible housing in nice neighborhoods. Bethesda
Cornerstone Village Victoria meets those needs and delivers so much more.”
Bethesda Cornerstone Village Victoria consists of a total of 52 homes: 37
apartment homes and 15 villa homes. Up to twenty percent of the residences will
serve people with a disability who live independently. The goal of the new
development is to offer accessible, high-quality housing while encouraging
independent living and fostering connections among residents.
“Our belief is the strongest communities
are inclusive and create an environment where everyone is welcome,” said Campbell.
“We are creating spaces where more
people can enjoy the area, and we feel blessed to have found broad support
among our neighbors, city leaders and other stakeholders for this project.”
Bethesda
intends to expand the inclusive living concept by building additional
Cornerstone Village locations in clusters around major U.S. cities. Two
additional villages are being considered for the Twin Cities area.
“We are
reviewing sites in Brooklyn Park and Oakdale now,” said Campbell, “and we plan
to expand Cornerstone Village developments across the country. Each will be
tailored to the needs and demographics of their communities.”
Bethesda
is a 115-year-old, national Christian organization, providing homes and other
services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The
organization has numerous locations in Minnesota. Bethesda’s Minnesota
operations are based in Victoria and its history with Victoria goes back nearly
50 years.
Bethesda Cornerstone Village is a
trusted partner with the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, which provided the financing of this
inclusive housing community.
The
project’s architect is New York-based QPK Design, and the construction manager is Kraus-Anderson, one of the nation’s premier commercial
general contractors and construction managers.
“The project features state-of-the art smart
home technology, including fiber interlink for the entire campus, wireless
access points, and smart thermostats, light switches, doorbells and garage door
openers,” said Aaron Zabel, Kraus-Anderson’s project manager. “All the
rooms have universal design concepts, such as low-threshold showers, bathroom
grab bars, larger units for wheelchairs and large pocket door handles for those
with dexterity issues. In addition, we installed numerous safety and
security measures, including a robust common area camera system, access control
and smart unit deadbolts.”
Bethesda Cornerstone Village Victoria residences are luxuriously
appointed, with features including granite countertops, stainless steel
appliances, in-unit laundry, soundproofing and patios or balconies. Residences are built to accommodate
evolving needs as residents age, and offer maximum accessibility with features
including walk-in showers, pocket doors and wide doorways to easily accommodate
walkers and wheelchairs. The villas homes have attached one- or two-car garages
and the apartment home building features an underground parking garage for easy
access in any weather.
Leisure
activities at Bethesda
Cornerstone Village Victoria are
made easy with a beautiful community center that features lots of natural
light, plenty of space to gather with friends and organized learning sessions
like cooking classes, Bible studies, fitness activities, and wellness
activities. The state-of-the-art fitness center offers an array of exercise
machines and classes.
Bethesda
will host responsible grand opening events on September 24 featuring
both in-person and virtual options because of COVID-19. Events will include a
ribbon cutting, laying of the cornerstone and burying a time capsule.
Please visit bethesdacornerstonevillage.org
for more details, or
contact Leasing and Program Manager Julie Hughes at 920-567-8216.
About Bethesda
Headquartered
in Watertown, Wis., Bethesda is a national Christian organization, providing
homes and other services for people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities since 1904. Bethesda strives to become a central point of
connection that unites people who have disabilities with communities and
provides essential resources to help them live their lives to the fullest
through more than 300 programs across the country. For more information, go to http://www.BethesdaLC.org.
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