Aegis Living, a developer and manager of "senior living" housing, has opened a sales office in Madison Park in the space vacated this summer by Ropa Bella (1928 43rd Avenue E.). The office doesn't officially open until December, but there was a "soft opening" a couple weeks ago and we took advantage by dropping in and touring the space. Aegis is using the office to market its newest property, Aegis on Madison, a planned six-story building currently under construction on the north side of E. Madison Street at 22nd Avenue (just across the street from what was once the Chester Dorsey Auto Salon).
Described by Aegis as "inspired by European grand hotels," the new facility will consist of about 100 one-bedroom and studio apartments, but will also include at least some retail spaces and a Horticultural Therapy Garden. Assisted living, transitional care, and "memory care" will each provided in the building. Aegis's Madison Park sales office has a mock up of a couple of the planned lounges, as well as an interactive system that can show prospective buyers exactly what the view will be from every room (they used a crane to get the pictures). It's expected that the office will be in place for about a year (presumably in anticipation that all the units will have been sold soon after the building's completion).
Also new to the neighborhood is ATAC, Inc. (Associates in Tutoring and Academic Consultation), which moved this summer from the University District to office space at 3141 E. Madison St. ATAC serves gifted and mainstream students, as well as students with ADHD or other learning disabilities.
And new to the neighborhood in November will be Emily Wang, a State Farm insurance agent who is opening an office at 4227 E. Madison St. (just above The Independent Pizzeria).
At this rate pretty soon there will be no retail stores in Madison Park where you can simply buy things like say clothes or books; there will be just banks, fancy restaurants and other facilities for rich seniors. Poor Ropa Bella, first replaced by a bank and now this. Milktoast Madison Park here we come.
ReplyDeleteAnon. Above, don'tcha think part of the Mad. Pk. retail scene is the greater trend of targeting us Boomers (well, I'm one)?
ReplyDeleteWe're not as fun as we use to be (okay, I'm not) and may spend more on our homes and/or condo's interiors, our loved ones, ourselves (like dining out a lot and our looks)... the retail scene doesn't seem THAT different to me than locally or nationally from a decade ago, given trends.
Given the discretionary moolah in the Mad Park, we continue to "get stuffed" with the banks, good/great places to stuff ourselves and in the past decade a couple of places to tone up our physiques & "unstuff" the effects of too many tortillas, dumplings, and other great "stuff n' junk."
Maybe the next trend will be places in M.P. to enrich our souls and further feed our minds (& perhaps a BECU ATM at Bert's or Pharmaca plus a place to rent cars by the hour and 'lectric car chargers ?!?!).
~ Greg Hunicutt in my M.P. dreams