Senior Living Developments Bring Economic, Housing Opportunities to Johnson County
Johnson County is seeing a significant expansion of senior housing options. This growth could have meaningful impacts on housing availability and talent for our employers.
“Aspire works to problem-solve and advocate for the issues that affect our businesses, including their workforce,” said Amanda Rubadue, Vice President of Economic Development at Aspire.
“Increased 55+ communities allow us to tap into an experienced demographic, keeps our younger families in our communities as grandparents can now age in place in our communities and adds additional housing to the market, better diversifying our housing stock.”
A new major senior living development is Sagebriar by Del Webb, located on Five Points Road in Greenwood, which is comprised of 524 homes on 186 acres. The Del Webb Lifestyle amenities include indoor and outdoor pools, trail systems, parks, lifestyle director, fitness center, golf simulation and a central amenity center that is over 15,000 square feet.
The development is the first Del Webb community in Greenwood and the fourth in Indiana.
“Del Webb builds consumer-inspired homes and communities for active adults ages 55+ who want to continue to explore, grow and learn, socially, physically and intellectually as they look forward to retirement,” said Kiersten Von Grimmenstein, Senior Marketing Manager at PulteGroup, the company that oversees Del Webb communities.
In terms of housing market dynamics, the construction of senior communities can also ease housing pressures for younger families.
“As the 55+ demographic starts to 'move down' from larger homes as their grown children move out, their previous 4-bedroom, 2-story home becomes available to new or growing families in the area,” Von Grimmenstein said.
Brad Coffing, Director of Housing Insights at MIBOR Realtor Association, reinforced this idea.
“Introducing more housing products that suit seniors' needs and preferences (size and available amenities) could potentially free up more housing inventory for subsequent generations,” he said.
The economic benefits of senior living communities in Johnson County extend beyond the housing supply.
“Most of the newly constructed senior living communities have been built in Hamilton County, so it's nice to see supply being created to meet demand in other parts of central Indiana,” said Coffing.
Jordan Morrow, Executive Director of Greenwood Village South, shared insights into the future of senior living development in the area.
“Construction on the Apryl Drive thoroughfare is nearing completion, and in Spring 2025, we will begin construction on our 66 new independent living residences, The Village Flats,” he said.
“These innovative residences will boast open, spacious floor plans, impeccable design, the finest finishes, walk-in closets, and a private deck or patio. We’re reimagining our entire 63-acre campus, with plans for gorgeous new green spaces connecting every aspect of our sprawling community with a centralized ‘mecca of amenities’ in the center of it all.”
Von Grimmenstein highlighted the potential economic impact of their projects on Johnson County.
“Sagebriar will offer more than 500 homes and will generate a variety of economic impacts,” she said. “Property taxes from the new homes being built, income taxes from the 40%-50% of residents that have not yet retired, off-peak dollars spent in the local economy, hiring of construction workers, volunteerism in the local community by residents and much more.”
Looking toward the future, Von Grimmenstein and Morrow both foresee continued demand for senior housing.
“We believe there will be increased demand for senior housing in the future, which is why PulteGroup is planning this significant investment into Greenwood and Johnson County,” Von Grimmenstein said.
Morrow highlighted the long-term strategy for Greenwood Village South.
“The upcoming ‘silver wave’ of senior living is almost incomprehensible. With the population of seniors aged 85 and older tripling in the next generation, the demand for senior living options will continue to outpace the current trend of supply,” Morrow said.
Since the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, Coffing says central Indiana and most placed around the country has underbuilt housing units.
“The housing units that were built were largely the same type of product,” said Coffing. “Larger, multistory, single-family detached. Since the housing market recovered in 2012, we have seen the available inventory of homes decrease. The lack of diversity in housing options limits consumers' choices and often forces them to remain in their homes longer than they would.”
Coffing notes that the housing crisis has had generational effects.
“This log jam in the natural filtering of homes has taken products that traditionally would have been considered ‘starter’ homes (smaller in size and less expensive) and made them unaffordable to first-time and entry-level buyers,” he said.
For older homeowners, Coffing says they are often still living in homes that are becoming too large for their needs.
“As their children moved out, their need and desire for the additional space diminished, but there weren't smaller, more manageable products for them to move into, so they stayed,” he said.
“Additionally, as households form and begin introducing children into the equation, they naturally need more space. Introducing more housing products that suit seniors' needs and preferences could potentially free up more housing inventory for subsequent generations.”
Morrow emphasized the broader appeal of life planning for seniors with housing communities.
“As older adults consider living options like Greenwood Village South for their futures, they are selling their homes. Homes that are greatly needed for the younger generations,” he said.
In 2022, MIBOR partnered with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to conduct a Community Preference Survey.
“We asked a series of questions to find out what features of where they live were more important or less important to them since the pandemic,” Coffing said. “The number one response for a feature that was more important was living closer to family. We see a desire for grandparents being closer to grandchildren, or adult children begin close to their parents. For consumers in the prime earning ages of life, this generation is most likely to be caring for children but also caring for their parents.”
Coffing added that these are symbiotic relationships, where grandparents can help with grandchildren and have help from their children in turn.
“Another aspect to remember is people are living longer, healthier, more active lives,” Coffing said. “Providing housing and communities features that help them remain in the community, promote healthy and active lifestyles, and continue to contribute to the vibrancy of the community will be critical.”
Coffing emphasized the broader importance of meeting the needs of different generations.
“It seems to be easier to build smaller and more diverse housing products for older generations, but it's important to remember that these housing and community preferences cut across all generations.”
Coffing recognized the need for housing options that appeal to younger groups as well as seniors.
“Senior living communities generally take the best aspects of housing and community preferences but restrict it to age cohorts. And this is fine because it can open up housing products for future generations. But we need to remember that a community can be strengthened by having a diverse housing stock available for all.”