First CoCoCo Senior Community to Turn Dirt Next Year

Viamonte will be the first continuing care community in all of Contra Costa County.

WALNUT CREEK, CA— Viamonte , a continuing care retirement community slated for development, is a joint venture by two nonprofit senior housing and services operators, Northern California Presbyterian Homes and Services (NCPHS) and Episcopal Senior Communities (ESC). It will be the first continuing care community in Walnut Creek and all of Contra Costa County. The project has won the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) gold nugget grand award for senior housing. PCBC awarded its highest honor in the senior housing category to Viamonte for the way “the variety of design elements fits into the overall site and adds its own aesthetic,” the judges’ statement says. “Indeed, the contemporary design elements offer warm and inviting spaces, both interior and exterior for a complete long-term residency.” Designed by HKIT Architects , Viamonte received unanimous approval from the Walnut Creek design review committee and the Walnut Creek City Council. The builder, Cahill Contractors , is slated to break ground on the development in early 2017. Viamonte will encompass a 3.8 acre parcel of land located on The Orchards development. When completed, The Orchards will include shopping and dining, a new Safeway store, trails and outdoor community areas, along with the new senior housing community. The property was formally the site of the Safeway Supermarket test kitchens. “We’re thrilled about the opportunity to build the first continuing care retirement community in Walnut Creek because it’s such an exciting location,” said David Latina , vice president of business development for NCPHS. “This award is another positive confirmation that what we are building is the right thing at the right time.” Viamonte will include 173 units with an eye towards offering an urban lifestyle in spacious one-, two- and two-plus den bedrooms. The community will be located at the corner of Shadelands and North Via Monte along the northwestern edge of The Orchards mixed-use development. The design for Viamonte will incorporate the Heritage Oak trees on the site, estimated to be several hundred years old. In a unique move, NCPHS conducted several focus groups with local residents to have them weigh in on amenities and service offerings that seniors want. This approach is helping redefine the senior housing category by giving NCPHS and ESC critical consumer feedback long before a nail is hammered. Latina tells GlobeSt.com: “When a senior comes home to Viamonte, what they will find is an exciting and dynamic environment that was crafted especially for them. A major part of the design process was meeting with seniors in the community to make sure that what we built met the expectations of the people who would be living there.” Reservations for the new community will start later this year. An information center is currently under construction, including a model unit so interested seniors can get a sense for what life will be like in the new community.