Are you thinking about your next move? Maybe you’re empty nesters and you hardly use half the rooms in your house. Maybe you want to move, but not too far from your kids and grandchildren. Or maybe you’re thinking ahead and want a place that offers independent living with more care in the future. Luckily our area offers plenty of choices.

Purchasing A CCRC
Former astronaut 75-year-old Mary Cleave had a very exciting career. She went into space twice on Atlantis, and worked at NASA-Goddard and NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. “When I went to work at Goddard, my cousin suggested I move to Annapolis,” she says. Cleave lived in her house for 30 years. “I would have kept living there, but one night my hearing aids were out when the low battery on the fire alarm kept beeping, and I never heard it. My sister happened to be visiting and said, ‘You can’t live alone anymore, it isn’t safe.’”

“Since I love the water, I knew I wanted to stay in Annapolis,” she continues. After visiting several communities and talking to people at each, Cleave decided on Bay-Woods of Annapolis, a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC).

“In the morning I sit and watch the sunrise over the Bay Bridge. . .”

Cleave moved in 2017. What attracted her to BayWoods is that it is a resident-owned-and-run co-operative community where residents provide vital input on operations. (In Maryland there are only two co-op CCRCs.) Also a must for Cleave was that it was pet-friendly. “I think for people who live alone, a pet is very important,” says Cleave, who lives with her dog Brinx.

“In the morning I sit and watch the sunrise over the Bay Bridge,” says Cleave, who has a one-bedroom with a patio. “It’s a great way to start the day.” Although downsizing can be difficult, Cleave found getting rid of a lot of her stuff to be liberating. And when she has company, she reserves a guestroom at BayWoods.

Elizabeth O’Conner, director of marketing and sales at Blakehurst, says, “Today’s residents are very active.” A gym is a must-have, and many CCRCs have more than equipment and classes. They may offer trainers, indoor pools, hot tubs, steam rooms, walking trails, a putting green—even gardens where residents can grow flowers and vegetables.

BayWoods has plenty of activities and amenities, some unique to that community, such as swimming in the bay off their dock. Cleave says, “With the gym right here, I take classes three times a week and do tai chi once a week. And Brinx, my ‘trainer,’ makes sure we get out and walk,” laughs Cleave.

Is a CCRC Right For You?
A CCRC is a type of retirement community that is part independent living, part assisted living, and part skilled nursing home. Today, many communities offer memory care too, and on-site rehabilitation therapy. According to AARP, a CCRC offers a tiered approach to the aging process, accommodating residents’ changing needs. Upon entering, healthy adults can reside independently in single-family homes, apartments, or condominiums. When assistance with everyday activities becomes necessary, they can move into assisted living, memory care, or nursing care facilities. These communities give older adults the option to live in one location for the duration of their lives, with much of their future care already figured out.

“I came in needing a walker, graduated to a cane and, thanks to the in-house physical therapy, I now need nothing.”

When you choose a facility, it’s also important to know what type of contract it offers. These contracts can be very complex; treat this decision like you would any major investment, including seeking assistance from a lawyer or someone very knowledgeable. In addition, you should determine that the finances of the CCRC are healthy so that your present and future services are safeguarded.

Ray, 83, and Phoebe Sachs, 80, are no strangers to moving. “We’ve lived in New York, Chicago, Delaware, D.C., and moved about 10 or 12, times,” says Ray. While living in a Baltimore condo, with their three children living all over the country, the couple decided a CCRC would give them the future security they wanted. Their children agreed.

“We are very active and decided we’d make the move while we could participate in the activities and be part of the community,” says Ray. After checking out several CCRCs, they chose Blakehurst. “It had what we wanted—care if we need it, attractive surroundings, lots of activities including woodworking (where my wife is the only woman), walking trails, and we were able to make changes to the apartment.”

Making changes was very important to Phoebe, who was a builder and does interior design. “We made our second bedroom into a library and totally redid the kitchen,” she says. “We can cook, but they do such a remarkable job with the food and it’s so convenient, we don’t.”

“Our new appliances aren’t getting much of a workout,” admits Ray.

Typically, residents in independent living get at least one meal a day. In assisted living, memory care, and nursing, there are three meals provided. “At BayWoods the food is fabulous and healthy,” says Cleave. “I’m eating better than I ever did. And I don’t have to think about what I’m going to make for dinner, shop for it, and cook it.” Many CCRCs offer a variety of dining options beyond a dining room, including informal choices such as a café, bistro, deli, or pub. Some even have outdoor dining.

A Rental CCRC
Kathryn Lewis, age 72 and retired from working for the State of Maryland, was living with her son and his family. But after she had a knee replacement and ended up in rehab, she knew she could not return to her son’s house and its stairs. “The staff at the rehab facility suggested I consider moving to the Atrium Village in Owings Mills,” she says. Lewis moved there in 2021.

“I came in needing a walker, graduated to a cane and, thanks to the in-house physical therapy, I now need nothing. What was so great was that I didn’t need to leave Atrium Village and didn’t need family to take me to therapy,” says Lewis. As an ordained minister, Lewis loves volunteering at Atrium Village and doing activities: Bible study, choir, trivia, happy hour, movies, games, discussions, and exercise classes including Zumba and yoga.

At Atrium Village there are no entry or buy-in fees, or a commitment of retirement assets, as with most senior living communities. The cost of an apartment, dining options, all activities, fitness, housekeeping, and other services is included in a monthly lease.

Atrium Village has independent, assisted, and memory care. And it just underwent a $13 million renovation. Angela Spence, senior divisional director of sales and marketing for Senior Lifestyle, the company that manages Atrium Village, was involved in the renovation. According to Spence, the multimillion-dollar renovation is part of a 20-year anniversary transformation to create a next generation senior living experience.

“There are still some people who think of senior living communities as nursing homes. We need to overcome that stigma. Since COVID and with the renovation, our goal is to have programs that help residents get back into life and find a purpose. Living well is all about having a purpose,” says Spence.

Anyone visiting many of today’s CCRCs would never think of them as nursing homes. Many who live there say it’s like living on a cruise ship; it just doesn’t move.

Part of the renovation at Atrium Village included an array of new services and upscale amenities. In addition to two restaurant-style dining venues, there are two new bistros, a library, wellness center, salon, art studio, hospitality lounge, movie theater, and family center.

Happy hour is also big at many CCRCs. Spence says, “We added more happy hours after the residents requested them.”

Many of the CCRCs have continuing education. At BayWoods there are lectures given by neighboring St. John’s College scholars. Atrium Village partners with the Community College of Baltimore County to offer instructor-led classes.

CCRCs arrange trips, art classes and, yes, the list of activities and amenities goes on and on. But don’t worry, you can be as active as you want, or if you prefer a quieter experience, you can have that too. It’s all up to you.

An Over-55 Community
The Weidmans, Hope, 70, and Tim, 69, were no strangers to life at a 55-and-over community. They had lived in one in New Jersey for seven years and loved it. “When I retired after 38 years of teaching, we decided to move to a place that would be fun. A 55-and-over community fits the bill,” says Hope.

But trips to visit their son and his family in Virgina became too much. “So we started looking. We checked out Delaware, Virginia, and Maryland. When we visited Four Seasons on Kent Island it was everything we wanted.” There were single-family units and condos, walking trails, a pool, pickleball, and, best of all, there were other people their age for socializing. The Weidmans moved into a two-bedroom, two-and-half-bath home with a den and screened-in porch in 2021.

According to Veronica Lawson, an associate broker at Real Broker, LLC, these communities are ready-made for like-minded individuals for whom physical and emotional well-being are key.
Things like social activities and planned trips to local events create a strong sense of community that in turn create a fun and safe environment. Fifty-five-plus communities are becoming more and more popular as many healthy retirees look for active communities once retired.

And for some, buying before they retire is part of their long-range retirement plan. That was true for Gamini Dharmasena, 62, and his wife Desilva, 59, both scientists living in New Jersey. “We aren’t planning to retire for five years but thought prices would only keep going up. For my wife, who grew up in Sri Lanka, being by the water was a must. We checked out several places on the East Coast but were afraid of hurricanes in North Carolina,” says Gamini.

After filling out information online for Four Season on Kent Island, they got a call from a realtor. They visited and fell in love with the area and were attracted to a 55-plus active community with lots of activities and opportunities to be social.

The Dharmasenas purchased a single family, 3,500-square-foot home with the master bedroom on the first floor and a screened-in porch. It backs on trees and is a five-minute walk to the water. “Our 5,000-square-foot home on five acres is a lot to look after. When we retire, we’ll be ready to downsize,” says Gamini. Plus, they love to travel and won’t have to worry about the house. For now, the Dharmasenas plan to use it as a vacation home twice a month until it becomes their permanent home.

 

To learn more about retirement options check out these helpful websites:
• aging.maryland.gov
• continuingcarecommunities.org
• aarp.org/caregiving/basics
• seniorliving.org/continuing-careretirement-communities

After living in Washington, D.C. while advising Barack Obama on domestic policy, 38-year-old Jason Green was looking to relocate. Green, who holds a Yale University law degree and has always had an interest in community empowerment strategies, had been doing related work in Detroit, and saw a lot of the same activity happening in Baltimore.

“Both areas have a powerful spirit, an energy, and people investing in the city,” he says. “It made me want to live in Baltimore. And since I didn’t know anyone in the area, I was looking for a place that offered me a community.”

Green, who recently co-founded Skillsmart, a specialized recruiting firm, chose 414 Light Street, a new luxury rental.

And like many of the high-end apartments and condos that have been popping up in the metro area in recent years, it had everything he needed, and then some.

As an example, the 7th floor has 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor recreation amenity space where residents can sunbathe at the rooftop pool, have an evening meal in the al fresco kitchen, watch movies on the 16-foot, dual-sided screen, or work out at the 4,000-square- foot fitness center.

“The fitness center is so incredible that I gave up my gym membership,” says Green. And since so many people work from home—and even more are expected to in the wake of the coronavirus—Baltimore’s luxury residences have provided common areas for them, too. There’s also a space where you can hold a meeting.

The developers of these fairly exclusive communities haven’t forgotten Fido, either. At the 2Hopkins complex in Hopkins Plaza, for instance, the building offers indoor dog parks for both large and small canines, and a residents-only pet spa, while 414 Light Street has a pet park and pet spa, complete with a treat-filled vending machine.

It’s all part of a grand demographic plan, says Stephen Gorn, CEO of Questar, who, along with his VP son, Zachary, developed 414 Light Street, a 394-unit complex towering above Baltimore’s Inner Harbor that is Maryland’s tallest residential building at 44 stories.

“We wanted to be part of the urban renaissance going on around the Inner Harbor and throughout downtown Baltimore,” says Gorn. “And we think there will be a lot more high-quality residential buildings in downtown Baltimore, not just apartments for rent, but also condominiums.”

That’s already happening: Charm City is experiencing a building boom of residential high-end luxury apartments and condos, and the market for them is strong. (If you’re wondering why one would rent instead of buy a condo, it’s often about the time involved if you have to sell, the risk of losing money, and the hefty annual taxes).

According to a 2019 Yardi Matrix report, Baltimore’s market was riding the wave of employment gains in high-paying industries pre-COVID-19. It’s a trend marker watchers hope will continue.

Re-adaptive use of older buildings—of which Charm City has no shortage—has also played a part in the boom, such as in the case of 2Hopkins, which reinvtented the former Mercantile Bank Trust building.

But the primary drivers are two very different demographic groups that both want an urban live/work/play environment: high-paid millennials and baby boomers.

“Millennials and baby boomers want the same thing: convenience,” says Julie Thompson, senior vice president of Bozzuto Management Company, the 800-pound gorilla of high-end housing in the city. “They want proximity to entertainment, shopping, grocery stores, and restaurants. They want shorter commutes and walkability. They prefer the convenience of walking out of their apartments and having everything at their fingertips.”

Karen Hubble Bisbee, associate broker and principal of Hubble Bisbee Group of Long & Foster/Christie’s International Real Estate, says empty nesters, in particular, want the urban lifestyle. “They are footloose. They want that lock-and-leave, carefree way of life. When they travel, they don’t want to worry about their house and when they are home they want great restaurants and everything at their doorsteps.”

Although most of the boom in these high-end residences has, indeed, occurred in the city, the larger suburbs are also seeing some similar developments popping up.

Among them is the Towson Promenade, which is minutes from Towson University and the shopping and dining of Towson Town Center Mall, as well as Metro Crossing at Metro Centre in Owings Mills, which is right on the Metro line and I-795 and within walking distance of shopping and restaurants. And while lacking the bright lights of the big city, they offer high-end amenities similar to their urban cousins.

So where do the younger residents, in particular, get the money? Kimberly Clark of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore says part of the answer is Baltimore’s major employers, such as Under Armour, The Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, Legg Mason, and a growing number of start-up companies. And those employers, in turn, are attracting well-educated millennials from out of the area.

These affluent millennials are highly discriminating, which Gorn, like the other developers of similar residences, understands. “We wanted to do something that was a new vision for the apartment market for our region and certainly for downtown Baltimore. And we wanted amenities that rival a five-star resort.”

That kind of concept was a draw for 39-year-old Chicago native Claudia Panning, who moved to Baltimore in 2015 for a job after living in Washington, D.C. and Memphis. “I was renting in one building, but decided I wanted more space and more amenities,” says Panning, who chose Liberty Harbor East, a Bozzuto property with 282 rentals and 33 condos.

Panning adds, “With such a great fitness center, I’ve started exercising again.”

Like many such developments, Liberty Harbor East has an area where you can host dinner parties, cabanas by the pool, workspaces, a study lounge, and a demonstration kitchen for resident events. And now, with the Flagship Whole Foods Market and its harborview cafe in the building, residents have another perk.

And, of course, there’s the requisite pet area—while Panning’s apartment overlooks the building’s dog park, and she loves seeing the dogs, she admits it’s her cat that is most obsessed with the action.

Think of these high-end complexes as neighborhood-meets-cruise ship.

And that environment doesn’t happen by accident—it’s orchestrated to some extent. 414 Light Street, for example, has two managers responsible for overseeing the lifestyle program, which includes robust health and wellness offerings, managing community engagement and resident events, and ensuring overall resident satisfaction. “They’ve hosted dinners at Morton’s and Phillips,” says resident Green. “And for New Year’s, we watched the fireworks.”

Given that the complex has such a massive TV screen, Green decided not to have a TV in his apartment. So, during football season, he watched the Ravens with fellow residents. “It’s sort of like a college dorm,” says Green, “where you can meet other people, but in an ultra-luxury setting.”

Convenience plays a big part in attracting residents, too. Green, who lived in a single-family home in D.C., says, “When I got an Amazon package, I had to worry that it might be taken. Here, I never have to think about it. I get a text when I get a package. And they can also take care of my dry cleaning.” The 24/7 concierge staff also can help with travel, restaurant reservations, and groceries. Gorn says, “They do the mundane to the more elaborate.”

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AMENITIES AND PRICING

Here are some examples of what Baltimore’s high-end apartments and condo towers have to offer:

414 LIGHT STREET APARTMENTS
414 Light St., 844-823-9996
Apartment features: smart home technology, walk-in closets, stainless-steel appliances
Prices: Studios $1,700–1,950; one-bedroom $1,900–2,700; one bedroom plus den $2,800–3,000; two bedrooms $3,200– 4,800; two-bedroom and den $4,700–4,800. Penthouse units include hardwood floors throughout the apartment and replaces, 10-foot ceilings, wine refrigerators, and private terrace gardens in select plans. Penthouses range from $4,000 to $8,000–plus.

LIBERTY HARBOR EAST APARTMENTS
1301 Aliceanna St., 443-701-4774
Apartment Features: designer kitchen with quartz countertops, tile backsplash, and under cabinet lighting; stainless-steel GE appliances; Kohler faucets; full-size washer and dryer; hardwood-style flooring in kitchen and living areas.
Prices: Studios $1,821–1,936; one-bedroom $2,190–2,406; two-bedrooms $3,716

Liberty Harbor’s Horizon Level has some exclusive amenities, services, and features: roller shades to allow
for privacy over the expansive glass windows; upgraded cabinetry, countertop, and lighting packages; solid slap backsplash; 12-foot ceiling heights in select units; a private lounge with daily hospitality, tea service, fresh orals, snacks, newspaper delivery, and shoeshine.

Prices: One-bedroom penthouse $2,940–3,050; two-bedroom penthouses $3,867–4,349; three-bedroom penthouses $5,197–5,262

LUMINARY AT ONE LIGHT
100 E. Redwood St., 844-805-2109
Apartment Features: Apartments are complete with a gourmet kitchen, luxurious bathroom, and high-end, energy-efficient appliances, 360-degree city and harbor views, 24-hour concierge, rooftop infinity pool, fitness center and yoga room custom-designed by Under Armour, rooftop bark park and pet spa, rooftop Zen garden, grilling stations.
Prices: Studios $1,443–1,795; one bedroom $1,570–2,170; two bedroom $2,323–3,265; penthouse units $1970–4,095

2HOPKINS PLAZA APARTMENTS
2 Hopkins Plaza, 410-216-3044
Apartment Features: stainless steel appliances; floor-to-ceiling windows; full- size washers and dryers .
Prices: Studios $1,300–1,400; one-bedroom $1,500-1,900; two-bedroom $2,100–2,700

LIBERTY HARBOR EAST CONDOMINIUMS
1301 Aliceanna St., 410-421-7491
Condominium Features: Hardwood flooring through all living spaces; bathrooms with marble ooring, oversized showers
and baths; balconies with harbor or skyline views; designer kitchens with stone countertops and Thermador appliances; most residences offer living-room replaces.
Condo owner Amenities: Dedicated condo resident front desk concierge; automated and secured package room; Butter yMX intercom security system; social lounge.
Prices: One-bedroom $599,000; two- bedroom $799,000; three-bedroom
$1.3 million. Penthouse loft: four bedrooms, two stories, and 47,000 square feet with terrace, $4 million.