Balfour Requests Addition
Louisville retirement community seeks new 76-unit facility
Louisville Times
May 17-23, 2006
By Leslie Wilber
The Lodge at Balfour could well be a lesson for young workers as to why they should contribute to retirement plans.
The 95-unit independent living facility features a restaurant, happy hour, an indoor pool and a full schedule of activities.
“We know our greatest competition is people’s own homes,” said Michael Schonbrun, president and CEO of Balfour. “People move into independent living because they want to, not because they have to.”
With the Lodge full, Balfour is seeking to expand its independent living campus.
The City of Louisville’s planning commission unanimously approved plans to build a 76-aprtment facility across from the Lodge on Thursday, May 11.
Louisville Planning director Paul Wood said he expects the proposal will go before the city council on June 6.
“I would anticipate it would move forward in June,” Wood said.
The new building will be 124,000 square feet, Patrick Hyde, a Balfour spokesman said.
It will complement the amenities at the Lodge Schonbrun said.
For example, The Lodge has an indoor swimming pool and salon. The Residences, as the new complex is named, will have a movie theater and a spa.
Both facilities have their own restaurants and public spaces, although residents will be able to use either building, Schonbrun said. A crosswalk with flashing lights will be installed to make crossing Hecla Drive easy for residents, he said.
So far, there has been no opposition to the new facility, Wood said.
In some ways, an independent-living community has less impact on surrounding areas than typical apartments, Wood said. Traffic rates tend to be lower and residents use less water, Wood said.
The complex adds value to the city by providing housing for a wider variety of people, Wood said.
The outside of the Residences will look much like the Lodge, Schonbrun said. There will also be extensive landscaping to mask the view of the road and a nearby shopping center.
Schonbrun estimated 83 to 90 people will live at the Residences.
There are 125 residents in the Lodge’s 95 units, Kathy Fisher, a leasing consultant for Balfour said.