Touchmark Breaks Ground on Retirement Housing Campus
A rendering shows a multi-story complex adjoining a common area and smaller cottages in the 14-acre Touchmark on the Hillside development.
Photo Credit: Touchmark
A fallow field at a prime intersection in South Anchorage will soon be home for more than 200 retirees. Touchmark at Hillside broke ground last week at O’Malley Road and Lake Otis Parkway, beginning the transformation of 14 acres into a new retirement living campus.More Choices for Older Alaskans
More Choices for Older Alaskans
Touchmark is an Oregon-based developer and operator of senior living facilities, with sixteen projects in eleven other states and Alberta, Canada. The campus in South Anchorage is planned to include 244 total residences. Of those, 120 would be units in a multistory condominium complex, plus 34 villa homes, 58 assisted living apartments, and 32 memory care homes.
“Anchorage is a community where people build deep roots, and we believe older Alaskans should have more choices for how and where they live as life changes,” says Touchmark President Jay Leo. “Touchmark at Hillside is about creating a place where older Alaskans can continue living active, connected lives close to the people and community they love.”
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Under the leadership of Touchmark Development & Construction, the project team includes BBFM Engineers, Bettisworth North, DOWL, LRS Architects, T3 Alaska, and Watterson Construction. When completed in 2029, the facility is expected to employ about 100 year-round staff.
Leo expressed gratitude to the municipality and local partners. The development is among the latest to take advantage of a multi-family property tax incentive, toward the goal of adding 10,000 homes in ten years. The tax break is designed to reduce costs and help make larger-scale residential projects financially viable.
“Quality housing options for residents at every stage of life form the foundation of a strong community and economy,” says Mayor Suzanne LaFrance. “When high construction costs make it difficult for projects to pencil out, our local families and seniors are left with fewer choices. Through our multifamily property tax incentive, we are reducing financial barriers so partners like Touchmark can invest in Anchorage, build new homes, and allow our seniors to age in place right here in the community they love.”
Full Life Wellness
A dirt lot north of O’Malley Road for decades, the property is envisioned as homes for more than 200 residents.
Photo Credit: Touchmark
On the property, Touchmark at Hillside will include multiple dining venues, a fitness center, aerobics and yoga studio, theater, arts and crafts studio, library, game room, salon, massage room, outdoor walking paths, water features, a fenced dog park, fire pit, and secure underground parking.
Residents will also have access to Touchmark’s Full Life Wellness & Life Enrichment Program, which includes classes, events, excursions, and activities.
The site near the Independence Park neighborhood will provide residents with access to Ruth Arcand Park and commercial services at the Abbott Loop town center, plus the recreation facilities a little way downhill at O’Malley Road and Old Seward Highway.
