Phoenix Commons in the News!

It was a nice surprise to find Phoenix Commons mentioned in the Oakland Tribune last week, with an unsolicited mention in an article about an unrelated assisted living facility in Alameda:

The upcoming completion of Oakmont of Mariner Point comes as work is also underway on Phoenix Commons, a $21 million housing project by Elder Village Development near the Park Street Bridge on the Oakland side of the estuary.

The 41-condominium project at 340 29th Ave. is aimed at seniors who want the privacy of living in their own home and a co-housing lifestyle, such as through a communal kitchen and other shared amenities. The four-story building in Oakland’s Jingletown neighborhood will have one- and two-bedroom units at prices that are expected to range from $350,000 to $560,000. [Correction: the top end of the price range is $705,000. -KT]

Elder Village Development is a part of Alameda Elder Communities, which has been providing senior housing and skilled nursing facilities for more than 40 years in the Bay Area. Its facilities include the Elders Inn and the Waters Edge Lodge in Alameda. Phoenix Commons is being built on the former site of Tiki Tom’s, a waterfront restaurant and bar that burned down in October 2010.

Comparing a senior housing community like Phoenix Commons to assisted living is like comparing apples to oranges. Yet we’re grateful for the publicity, as well as the opportunity to educate more Boomers on the tremendous benefits of aging in an intentional community. Most folks end up in an expensive, institutional assisted living environment because they lack an effective support system at home. Our members will enjoy many years of independence in their new homes, precisely because they’ll be in a supportive and age-appropriate environment with compassionate neighbors/friends – and have a lot more fun in the process!