The first resident to officially call Village Shalom’s new Independent Living Apartments home moved in on Friday. That moment has been years in the making. Village Shalom broke ground a little over two years ago — July 2018 — on this project. Planning began over five years ago though.
The addition will increase Village Shalom’s independent living units by more than double. There are 76 apartments. As of now, 51 are currently sold. Matt Lewis, Village Shalom president and CEO, told The Chronicle, “Now that the building is open, we are excited to be able to tour people that are interested in a move to Village Shalom.” With couples living in the apartments, the total resident count for the new Independent Living Apartments is expected to be between 85 and 90.
“This is something that we’ve done for the community. We want it to be the best that it can be — taking care of our residents and giving them the quality of life that they deserve,” Lewis said.
Village Shalom can comfortably move in two apartments a day — considering logistics and social distancing. Move-in dates are being prioritized for residents who have already sold their homes or were in a rental. Move-in dates are booked through mid-September. “It’s an all hands on deck kind of event,” Jill Allin, Village Shalom director of sales and marketing, told The Chronicle.
The first floor of the new Independent Living Apartments feature an amenity space called Main Street. “You come in the main lobby and to the right is the Stone Creek Bistro, straight ahead is the dining room, called Zest on Main, and to the left is the living room and the Sam & Lucy Gould Theater. There’s a salon there also,” Allin said. The plan is for this to be a space of regular activity such as educational programs, movies, getting a massage, dining or having a glass of wine with a friend. These amenities will also be open to Villa residents, Village Shalom’s original independent living community.
There is also a smaller version of the wellness center for the residents of the independent Living Apartments, which is open 24-hours a day. Kosher food options are available for delivery across Village Shalom’s campus.
“Adding the Independent Living Apartments really rounds out our service programs for our continuum of care, it was just something that we were lacking,” Lewis said.
The apartments are connected to Village Shalom’s main campus. “The residents who reside in independent living at Village Shalom get priority access to all of the other levels of care,” Allin said.
“Village Shalom had a significant need for independent living apartments,” Lewis said, “It certainly enhances the different types of living options that we have. Just going back to the amenities, it really makes a huge difference from a competitive environment. A lot of these amenities… are something that’s pretty standard for independent living communities and it’s been something that we lacked for some time.”
Adding the apartments to the independent living offerings provides a wide range of sizes and price points. Allin said, “Our Villas are a great independent living option, but some people prefer to have all amenities under one roof. So this gives us a nice additional option for those folks that don’t want to be separated from the main campus.”
The construction took longer than expected. Building during one of Kansas City’s wettest years on record followed by a pandemic, slowed construction down.
Village Shalom also recently completed construction on their new memory support community and are wrapping up renovations on a short term rehabilitation area and a new therapy gym. Village Shalom spent $42 million on the new Independent Living Apartments, the new memory care building and renovations combined. .
The renovations consist of enhancing their therapy department by increasing its square-footage by about40 percent. The rehabilitation center is also moving to a newly renovated space. This will allow for showers to be installed in all 24 rooms — an important component of rehabilitation. Renovations are set to be completed by mid-September.
Village Shalom’s Capital Campaign will help pay for the new memory support community. That campaign has raised close to $12 million. The capital campaign will continue until the end of this year. Village Shalom is hoping to raise about $2 million more.
“Finishing up two buildings is a big milestone… it’s somewhat surreal that we’re getting close to the end of construction,” Lewis said.
“It’s been a real honor to be part of this project, but it’s also important to note that there were a lot of people that worked to make this happen, many within the Jewish Community. We have a great board that’s been supportive in so many different ways.”
Call Village Shalom at (913) 317-2600 and ask for Matt Lewis to support Village Shalom’s capital campaign. If you’re interested in hearing more about living at Village Shalom, ask for Jill Allin.
By Meryl Feld
Editor