Colleen Toms
BRANT NEWS

A unique, community-oriented design that includes a centre for the Paris Simply Grand Seniors Club has earned Nautical Lands Group national and international recognition for its Queensview Retirement Community in Paris.

Canadian Over 50s Housing Awards 2012, sponsored by Canadian Over 50s Housing Weekly News, awarded Nautical Lands Group with The Most Outstanding Retirement Village Plan in Canada on June 19.

Last Wednesday the company discovered it had also been awarded the global honour.

“It’s really recognition in the industry for us,” director of development Peter Gregor said during a tour of the development at 70 King Edward St., which is currently under construction.

“It’s kind of unique from our end because we are such a small company.”

Queensview Retirement Suites will include 76 one and two bedroom apartment suites and six villas with four suites and a common laundry area per villa.

Open-concept, studio-style villas allow for more independent living, offering residents designated parking spaces and their own kitchens.

“That helps to bring the cost down,” Gregor said. “Villa residents pay as little as $1,495 a month and that includes an emergency response system and access to all of our programs.”

The Paris Simply Grand Seniors Club, which has been hunting for a permanent location for many years, will find their new home in a spacious centre that can be separated into two rooms. It will have a separate entrance and designated parking spaces.

A small kitchen, a storage room and a public washroom are also available to the club. Queensview residents can access the centre from the apartment building.

“It’s going to be win-win because our residents can participate in their programs,” Gregor said. “We also hope that in time, when (club members) need our services, they will move into our building.”

Residents in apartment suites will enjoy amenities like a baby grand piano near the entrance, a large communal dining room with a bistro coffee bar where people can get snacks, coffee and juices between meals, a multi-purpose room for activities and crafts that will include a digital movie projector and a wellness centre where residents can speak with a nurse or get assistance with their medications.

Apartment suites include a small kitchenette with a bar fridge and sink where residents can enjoy snacks or drinks, but still attend the dining room for meals.

All units include a porch or balcony, bathrooms featuring pocket doors and step-in showers with built-in seats and emergency response systems.

The approximately 60,000-square-foot building is fully equipped with sprinkler systems, two elevators, a hair salon and personal laundry rooms on every floor. Residents can also opt to use a laundry bag service for a fee.

A shuttle bus service shared between Nautical Lands Group retirement communities drives residents to shopping or other outings on specified days.

“We’re very proud of this,” Gregor said of the model. “We use this as a standard design across the province. It is kind of (seniors’) own little community.

“Our goal is to make affordable housing for seniors. We really try to cover all of the bases.”

Gregor anticipates the project, which is currently ahead of schedule, will be completed in spring of 2013. A presentation centre showcasing the designs of one-bedroom apartment suites and studio concept villas is expected to open Aug. 1 of this year.

For more information call 1-877-831-2585 or visit www.nauticallandsgroup.com.