HOUSTON-After a successful development of four assistedliving/memory care facilities, PinPoint CommercialLP and Thrive Senior Living LLC aregearing up to go north on five more such facilities to be locatedin Texas, Louisiana and Florida. The projects are scheduled tobreak ground in early 2013, will take about a year to complete, andwill carry an all-in price tag north of $80 million.

Charles Turner, principal with locally basedPinPoint, says the partnership between the locally based PinPointand Thrive Senior Living of Atlanta, GA came about with help from athird party. Though PinPoint's development capabilities have beengeared toward industrial and medical office properties, "theyreally helped educate us on the product and their philosophy on howthey wanted the facilities to work," Turner explains.

Rather than the standard single-building orinstitutional-looking structure characterizing most assistedliving/memory care facilities, the Thrive buildings are designed toresemble interior mini "neighborhoods," complete with restaurants,stores, spas, a sports bar and even a gym. In addition to spaciousrooms, the facilities introduce technology, ranging fromtouch-screen computers for those with dementia to wirelesscaregiver alert systems and electronic monitoring. "Any time a sonor daughter checks in on mom or dad through the electronicmonitoring systems, it help builds peace of mind," Turner says.