DENVER – International award-winning KTGY Architecture + Planning is pleased to announce that Terry Willis, AIA, LEED AP, the managing principal in the firm’s Denver office, has been invited to participate in the 2018 LeadingAge Colorado Conference held on May 21-23, 2018, at Park Hyatt Resort and Spa in Beaver Creek, Colorado.
Willis will lead a discussion on “Leveraging Connections: Boomers in the City” at the LeadingAge Colorado Conference on Tuesday, May 21st, along with panelists Elisabeth Borden, founding principal of The Highland Group, Inc. of Boulder, Colorado; Susan Maxwell, CAPS, principal and chief operating officer of Zocalo Community Development in Denver; Robert D. May, founding and managing partner of Avenida Partners LLC of Newport Beach, California; and Joshua Brewinski, LEED AP, senior designer at Stantec in Boulder.
“There has always been a huge market for affordable active adult rentals in the U.S., but we are now seeing the emergence of the active adult market-rate rentals,” said Willis. “Baby boomers have a history of challenging the norms of earlier generations and demanding something different—and better. What has worked in the past, doesn’t work for this generation.”
Terry Willis, AIA, LEED AP
Willis notes that today’s 55+ market is highly educated as a group and wants to remain active in mind, body and spirit. “Whatever you do, don’t call them ‘old!’ Being valued and living an active life with meaning and purpose drives them,” Willis continued. “Like millennials, the 55+ renter not only wants to live near friends and family but also close to shopping, dining, services and entertainment in a safe, walkable environment. Living near transit or in a transit-oriented development that offers convenient access to civic and cultural activities, employers, healthcare and volunteering opportunities is an important consideration for boomers as well.”
According to Willis, successful developers are building walkable active adult communities with better access and connections – connection to the outdoors, to the neighborhood, and to the community at large.
Willis said that one of the goals of the session is to have audience members gain a better understanding about the traditional barriers that have existed between the age-qualified living community and the community at large and how a mixeduse development strategy could help dissolve these boundaries. “We will discuss ways to integrate the age-qualified community and its residents with the greater community through the development of retail, cultural districts and intergenerational socialization opportunities. We will also talk about the benefits of forming informal partnerships with local retailers and share some of the latest designs in age-qualified living environments that incorporate mixeduse, retail and cultural districts as part of the overall planning of the site,” Willis said.
Willis cites KTGY-designed Avenida Lakewood in Lakewood and Vita in Littleton, Colorado as examples. “Avenida Lakewood offers four-stories of amenity-rich 55+ living in Lakewood, Colo. Avenida Lakewood is the centerpiece of the Oak Station Marketplace mixed-use development serving the newly-constructed light rail station and is within easy walking distance to King Soopers Grocer and many other shops and restaurants. Notable locations such as Colorado Mills Mall, Westland Town Center (Sears, Lowe’s), St. Anthony Medical Center and the Denver Federal Center are nearby,” Willis said.
Vita is an age-targeted residential and commercial mixed-use community on the eastern edge of downtown Littleton. According to Willis, “The development is designed for empty-nesters over the age of 55, creating an active and enriching senior living community. Located just blocks from the RTD downtown Littleton light rail station, the proximity to transit further serves the active empty nester, allowing them an easier commute to work, cultural or entertainment locations throughout the metropolitan area. Vita is a combination of nearly 11,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space as well as 160 luxury apartments including live/work units on the ground floor.”
Willis added, “I believe that the well-executed integration of the age-qualified community with retail, services, healthcare, cultural and transit-oriented districts in a walkable environment will be key to tomorrow’s successful age-qualified communities. Walkable communities for active adults will facilitate a more active lifestyle and stronger and more rewarding social connections.”
With more than three decades of design and project management experience, Willis serves as a leader guiding the design and implementation of a wide variety of high profile developments. His skills and considerable expertise include creative planning, architectural design, technical and management leadership in the design and construction of residential, commercial, civic, transit, institutional, hospitality, retail and entertainment, education and mixed-use developments throughout the U.S. and internationally. Willis directs the design of several active adult communities, including Vita by Zocalo Community Development and Avenida Lakewood by Avenida Partners where KTGY’s innovative designs are invigorating the senior housing market in metro Denver.
About LeadingAge Colorado
LeadingAge Colorado is the largest association in Colorado representing senior living and care providers, and the clients they serve. LeadingAge Colorado advocates for a policy agenda that helps providers adapt and modify their programs in response to ongoing changes in senior living and aging services to meet consumer expectations. LeadingAge Colorado provides unmatched access and information on the key issues affecting members’ business and bottom-lines. At every turn, we are working on behalf of senior living and care providers in Colorado to advance policies that help providers do what they do best on behalf of the clients they serve. See www.leadingagecolorado.org.
About KTGY Architecture + Planning
Founded in 1991, KTGY Architecture + Planning is a leading full-service design firm focused on residential and mixed-use developments and neighborhood revitalization. KTGY seamlessly delivers innovation, artistry and attention to detail across multiple design studios, ensuring that clients and communities get the best the firm has to offer no matter the building type or location. KTGY’s architects and planners combine big picture opportunities, leading-edge sustainable practices and impeccable design standards to create memorable destinations of enduring value. KTGY serves clients worldwide from offices located in Chicago, Denver, Irvine, Los Angeles, Oakland, Pune and Tysons. See www.ktgy.com.
