Tag Archive for: senior community

New Davis Neighborhood Will Feature Innovative Public Art and Sculpture Trail

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Davis, CA —Bretton Woods, the new active adult housing community to be built in Davis has released a Request For Proposals (RFPs) for 10–11 sculptures for the neighborhood’s art and poetry trail. The pieces will be installed along the 1.5-mile trail through the arboretum-like setting. Developer Dave Taormino is commissioning the pieces. Proposals should be submitted to CODAworx by March 24. 

“Public art is part of the fabric of what makes Davis such a special place to call home and we wanted to infuse this spirt into Bretton Woods. These sculptures will help define our unique art and poetry trail and inspire both residents and visitors to the new neighborhood. “I’m excited to see the proposals and find pieces that truly connect with the vision of our community,” said Taormino.  

Voters approved Bretton Woods in November 2018 as a neighborhood that comprises numerous, greenways, paths and trails with 345 homes in a range of sizes and options. It also includes 150 affordable senior apartments. Located north of Covell Boulevard and just west of Sutter Davis Hospital, the one-story homes will be “right-sized” for active aging adults who are interested in being part of a new community in a home that fits their life stage. Although 80 percent of the units will be for individuals who are 55 and older, 20 percent will be open to younger buyers. The new neighborhood will also contain an Activity and Wellness Center with a homeowners’ clubhouse, restaurant and fitness facility with a coffee bar and medical offices. 

Inspired by the UC Davis Arboretum, Bretton Woods will feature 2.6 miles of walking paths that include the innovative art and poetry trail. The neighborhood will be bordered on the north and west sides with an oak tree forest and the interior trails will be lined with native plants, trees and shade structures. The trail will have 10–11 sculptures and close to two dozen poetry stops with shade and seating available so residents and visitors can stop, picnic and connect with neighbors. 

The RFP calls for sculptures that relate to nature and animals, appeal to a wide range of ages, reflect the community and elicit contemplation and whimsy. Two of the selected pieces will be specifically for children with the idea that they will climb, play and have fun. These pieces should make a great spot for photos.  Because oak trees are integral to the Davis environment, two sculptures will be selected that incorporate oaks or acorns. Pieces should be constructed in highly durable, low-maintenance materials that are suitable for outdoor display and can handle the Davis climate. 

Davis has a community of artists and art enthusiasts and Taormino is looking forward to submissions from local artists. To ensure the farthest possible impact locally, Bretton Woods Partners distributed the RFP to the numerous arts groups in Davis, as well as the City and UC Davis. It is also available on the Codaworx website so any interested artist can determine if their work is a possible fit for the neighborhood. 

For more information about the RFP process, please contact CODAworx at (608) 467-3040 or email team@codaworx-rfp.com. 

To learn more about Bretton Woods please visit https://brettonwoodsdavis.com.

Article published by the Davis Enterprise on Sunday, March 15, 2020: https://www.davisenterprise.com/business/developer-puts-out-call-for-artists/

New Senior Living Community in Davis

Smaller Homes are the “Right-Size”

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Today’s trend of decluttering and simplified living has become popular among all generations. Along with the benefits of easier maintenance and upkeep, people are realizing the cost savings that come with smaller, sustainable, energy-efficient living. However, many people are wary of the prospect of downsizing. And, it’s not just baby boomers who are joining in the “right-sizing” mind-set. Many millenials are also searching for homes with less maintenance and taking advantage of the energy savings of owning a smaller home. Living more sustainably and saving on energy costs are big draws in the attraction of downsizing,

A recent article published by AP News breaks down the benefits of finding a “right-sized” home. They write, “It scares people to think of moving into a smaller space, but every single person I interviewed who has made the transition says they are so happy they did.”

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Home Design Tips For Senior Housing

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One of the largest generations is now looking for a new type of home. Baby Boomers are in the market for smaller homes so that they can age in place within their existing communities. However, very few homes incorporate all the features to help achieve this goal. An remarkable 3.5% of all homes in the U.S. include features that make it accessible for senior. Some of these senior features include extra-wide hallways and doors, main-floor master bedrooms, and handrails in the bathroom.

According to a recent article from the National Association of Homebuilders they predict that people 65 and older will jump from 26% of the population to 34% percent in 2038, with the fastest-growing age group among them in the 80+ category. However, the report notes that they’re less likely to move, with only 3.6% of individuals aged 65-79 — compared to 13.6% of those under 50 — relocating in 2017-2018, more than half of which relocated within the same county.

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How To Downsize Successfully

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Downsizing is one of the hardest things you will have to do. What should stay and what should go? Then when you finally narrow it down, you find you need to narrow it down even more. In addition to the larger items like furniture, there is all the memorbilia, clothes, heirlooms, dishes… The list goes on!

In a recent Wall Street Journal article they intereviewed, Deborah Miller Lakoff who was a top Hollywood talent agent for over 40 years. She represented big names like William Devane, Ned Beatty, Bob Uecker and Julio Iglesias. For proof, one could just look in her garage.

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Pets are Critical for Senior Adults

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Whether it be a cat or a dog, the answer is clear… Pets make a huge difference in the lives of seniors. Increased activity is one obvious benefit, but the companionship that a pet offers is slim to none. The “unconditional love” a pet can give you, regardless if you live alone or not, is the number one benefit that owning a pet can offer you.

A recent article from Forbes reported that “When it comes to deciding where to live in retirement, 70% of respondents said their pet is a factor in making the decision, and 82% said they would not consider moving to a senior living community without their pet. When asked if they would feel lonelier without their pet, most (86%) said they definitely would.  They also indicated that they wouldn’t be as healthy without their pet.”

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Davis Enterprise Letters to Editor

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October 8, 2018

I am supporting Measure L because Davis needs more housing of all kinds. We recently had our home appraised for a refinancing and in the appraisal, under market conditions, the appraiser checked the box for shortage. The licensed professional knew that demand isn’t balanced by supply in Davis.

Another thing I find interesting in the current debate over construction in Davis is how today’s arguments against development contradict the arguments made a decade ago by the same people and groups. Recent arguments against both Measure L and Lincoln 40 have centered on the need for housing for families with children. Yet some of the people and groups they belong to, like the Sierra Club, making these arguments today worked against Measure X a decade ago that would have done just that, built housing for families with children.

It is important to remember these inconsistencies when listening to arguments for an election. Elections are traditionally one day events and often times people will say anything they think will sway the electorate to their preferred outcome if only for a single moment when someone is marking a ballot.

Vote yes on Measure L.

Ron Glick
Davis

 

Davis Enterprise Letters to Editor – WDAAC and Race

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October 7, 2018

Opponents of the West Davis Active Adult Community and Measure L argue that the WDAAC will perpetuate the racial profile of Davis that is skewed towards whites. I find this argument specious on two accounts: Davis’ racial profile is determined by other factors, and the WDAAC is racially indeterminate.

Davis certainly had a history of housing discrimination prior to the 1960s, and Davis’ racial profile certainly is more white than the rest of the county or state. Since the 1960’s our racial profile has been determined largely by three factors. First, the structure of job opportunities here is highly skewed towards high educational qualifications, where blacks and Latinos are underrepresented.

Second, house prices have consistently been substantially higher in Davis than in surrounding areas since at least 1970, and blacks and Latinos historically have had less wealth and fewer family financial resources than whites.

Third, the cultural climate in Davis is not friendly towards blacks or Latinos. Students of color in my classes at UCD often talked about racial profiling and harassment by police and shop keepers in town, making them feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. The WDAAC will have no impact on these three factors that determine our racial profile.

As currently proposed, the WDAAC restricts many housing units (say, X of them) to people with ties already to Davis. If this were not the case, those X units would be available to people of any race. But if it remains true, people moving into those X units will vacate X other housing units in Davis, and those X vacated units will be available to people of any race. Either way, X units are racially open. If Measure L is defeated and WDAAC is not built, no additional units will be available to anyone.

Jim Cramer

Davis Enterprise Letters to Editor – Backing WDAAC

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October 7, 2018

I support Measure L, the initiative allowing the building of the West Davis Active Adult Community and its inclusion within Davis’ boundaries.

I do so because of several reasons. However, the main reason is that 80 percent of occupants will be drawn from a Davis or Davis-related population. Davis seniors who are living in homes larger than what they need have been relocating elsewhere to downsize. WDAAC provides the smaller houses they need so these seniors have the option of continuing to live in Davis — as they have been for many years.

I support WDAAC because of this kind feature.

However, I also support it because when seniors leave Davis, our cultural memory leaves with them. Davis becomes less complex and less interesting.

I want an age-diverse Davis.

Vote ‘yes’ on Measure L.

Jim Leonard

Davis

Davis Enterprise Letters to Editor – Support for WDAAC

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October 5, 2018

Thank you to David Thompson and William Powell for setting the record straight on the affordable senior housing component of the West Davis Active Adult Community and Measure L.

It is generally agreed that we have a housing shortage in Davis and that shortage affects various demographic and economic brackets. One of the hardest hit populations is the senior community. There are currently over 440 people on the wait list for affordable senior housing in Davis. This year alone, there has been an increase of 225 people on the wait list for 59 affordable units at the Eleanor Roosevelt Circle. Only 3 apartments turned over in 2017.

With land donated by the developer, the WDAAC would put 150 units of much-needed low to very low-income rental units in our housing portfolio and would go a long way to help alleviate housing insecurity for seniors.

I am saddened to know that the local group of the Sierra Club is behind the dissemination of misinformation on Measure L. By portraying the WDAAC and the affordable housing developers as dishonest and deceitful, the Sierra Club is choosing to ignore the value of the land being donated, the proven track record of Delta Davis Senior Communities (the affordable housing developers), the proximity of the senior housing to Sutter Davis Hospital and other medical facilities and to the Market Place.

Without the passage of Measure L, these 150 units of affordable senior housing will not be built in the foreseeable future and our current lack of housing options and income inequality will continue.

Because of their opposition to Measure L and the West Davis Active Adult Community, and their misrepresentation of facts, I am dropping my membership in the Sierra Club’s local club, the Solano Group. This isn’t the Sierra Club that I wish to support.

Elizabeth Lasensky
Davis

Davis Enterprise Letters to Editor – We Need These Units

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October 5, 2018

As a longtime board member of Davis Senior Housing Communities I am well aware of the unmet housing needs of low income seniors in Davis.

We discuss the long waiting lists we have at every DSCH board meeting. The need in Davis is well established. Except for WDAAC, there are no other plans to house the low-income seniors on our waiting lists. So at this rate it could be almost 20 years before the next affordable senior housing occupied.

At last count we had 224 low-income seniors just on the waiting list for Eleanor Roosevelt Circle in Davis. With only three turnovers in 2018 it will be 76 years before the last senior on our existing waiting list will be housed. From wait list to move-in is getting close to four years.

Our board has worked hard on meeting the needs of low income seniors in Davis for almost 20 years. We have built every one of the communities we have started. The claim by the No side that there is no guarantee the affordable senior housing will be built at WDAAC is nonsense. The intent, regretfully, is to completely stop our project from building 150 low-income senior apartments in Davis. For further information go to https://westdavisactive.com/affordable-senior-housing/

Please give hundreds of low income seniors a future place to live in Davis by voting Yes on Measure L. We should not wait another 20 years to get the next affordable senior apartments in Davis.

Shirley Humphrey
treasurer
Davis Senior Housing Communities