By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
Longhorn Village stakeholders broke ground last week on a long-awaited, multimillion-dollar expansion of its senior living retirement community in Steiner Ranch.
“We’re targeting a summer 2024 opening,” said Deidre Kinsey, CEO Longhorn Village and Brazos Presbyterian Homes Holding Inc. chief operating officer. She’s been with Longhorn Village for a decade.
This expansion named the Ballantyne at Longhorn Village will add 48 new apartment homes featuring modern kitchens, top-notch amenities, a new club room, and a shared landscaped courtyard for grilling, entertainment and outdoor fun. The new four-story structure will include an underground parking facility.
These 48 new apartment homes will be similar to condominiums. “They are a hybrid between our villas and apartments, unique in the marketplace and more in a dense setting,” Kinsey said.
Longhorn Village – with its existing 214 independent living apartments, villas and 96 healthcare units – currently is home to 280 residents.
The retirement community has entrance fees ranging from $400,000 to $1.5 million and those are 90% refundable. It also has a monthly fee which pays for healthcare, Kinsey said. She did not share the pricing on the new units because prices have been fluctuating with inflation and construction costs.
The nonprofit Longhorn Village was founded in 2008 by The University of Texas Exes which was the original governing body. In 2018 the rights were sold to Brazos Presbyterian Homes which has two Houston sites with similar price points and residential lifestyles: The Hallmark and Brazos Towers.
“The original (Longhorn Village) plans included additional units but then the market crashed and it was not the right time. The time is now,” Kinsey said.
Greenbrier Development, a nationally known senior living consultant, and Perkins Eastman, a notable global design firm, joined the team to design this expansion. White Construction, a leading general contractor in Austin, has been contracted to build the 136,000-square-foot renovation and expansion.
The master planned community of Steiner Ranch is a good fit for Longhorn Village.
“People enjoy the hill country, and the views. The setting itself is a big draw for our marketplace,” Kinsey said.
Most of the current residents have family, children or grandkids in the area.
“A large part of residents have children in Northwest Austin,” Kinsey said.
Demand for senior living has been bolstered by the growth in Austin, specifically Northwest Austin, as more and more baby boomers, or people born between 1946 and 1964, now live in the area.
Additionally Longhorn Village saw an increase in demand due to the pandemic as people asked themselves, “Do I like what I’ve been doing, will this serve me well?”
Longhorn Village survived the pandemic well and saw demand increase as seniors were drawn to the community because residents were well served during that difficult time, Kinsey said.
Many Longhorn residents like to plan for the future and not burden their family with those plans, she added. They also like to be able to build friendships while staying in one place. Many start with independent living with an eye toward the future if and when they need a continuum of care: assisted living, rehabilitation, skilled nursing or memory care.
Longhorn Village has also built up a good community over the past 15 years.
“We always hear we have engaging residents, accomplished, friendly and warm,” Kinsey said.