Creating Communities for Life-Long Learners


Campus Continuum is creating college-affiliated housing for active seniors.

By Jaime Lackey

Published online 04-09-2007


Campus Continuum is partnering with residential developers and colleges to create communities that offer unique amenities to seniors. The company, which was founded 2 years ago, focuses on planning and operating communities with close ties to universities or colleges. These communities will be built by different developers to meet the needs of individual markets.

“Each school has something that someone wants,” says Gerard Badler, Managing Director of Campus Continuum. Some people are interested in an area with a low cost of living. Some potential residents prefer proximity to a major metropolitan area or excellent healthcare providers, others require convenient retail and restaurant options, and some are looking for a warm climate.

Campus Continuum is interested in talking with schools of all sizes. The only pre-requisites are that the school be willing to open classes and cultural events as well as facilities, including libraries and fitness centers, to residents. And the schools must be willing to lend their names to the projects. “We need the school’s public endorsement,” says Badler, “to show that the project is not just a development near a school and that we can deliver on the lifestyle being promised.”

This lifestyle includes opportunities for continuing education, access to on-campus theater events, art shows and sporting events. Each school will also have a dean of programs to help coordinate volunteer opportunities on- and off-campus, tutoring programs and career advisory opportunities for those interested in mentoring. The lifestyle program may also feature group travel opportunities and seminars catering to residents’ interests.

Schools are not required to provide land or financing for these projects, although there is an opportunity for schools to benefit by leasing or selling land or by investing in the projects. Schools also stand to benefit financially from donations or bequests from residents, from payments for providing access to their programs and facilities, and from additional assets created within the communities (i.e., a restaurant, faculty or graduate student housing, or classrooms).

Non-financial benefits include increased campus diversity, access to volunteer guest lecturers and tutors, career advice and networking opportunities stemming from seniors’ professional contacts, and attractive housing options for retired and current faculty.

After working with a college or university to assess the viability and interest in a residential project affiliated with that school, Campus Continuum will coordinate a request for proposals (RFPs) from real estate developers. Most projects will consist of condominiums or co-ops. Some will be configured as cluster homes and single-family residences; those in more urban settings will be multi-story buildings. Some may include university-owned rental housing for junior faculty and graduate students. The average community will have 120 residential units and may also feature a club house, a restaurant, a hotel or a bed and breakfast.

The staff of Campus Continuum will manage the planning and delivery of lifestyle services, which might include social programs, academic programs, volunteer programs, dining facilities, housekeeping services, transportation services, and wellness programs. Property maintenance services will be outsourced.

The company has worked with university presidents and conducted surveys to understand schools’ potential interest in affiliating with a senior community and to understand potential residents’ interest in such communities. Gerard explains that aging baby-boomers are particularly interested in active adult communities, not nursing homes or assisted living homes.

“I expect we will complete two projects per year for the next 10 years,” says Badler.

The company is currently planning Campus Continuum at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Badler says that a market assessment has shown broad interest in a variety of price points, which correlate to the market value of potential residents’ current homes. The company is planning to cater to the requested price points with approximately 120 units in clustered townhomes and possibly some single-family housing. Pending approval of the college’s board of trustees, Campus Continuum will start the process of choosing a developer for the project. (The college has final decision-making power on the choice of a developer.)

In addition to access to college amenities like the library and fitness center, residents will have access to the Juniata College Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. According to Badler, the college is renovating a public school for use as a business incubator, and Campus Continuum residents will be able to lease office space and share business services and facilities, including a receptionist and conference rooms.

Badler says Campus Continuum in is engaging in discussions with a number of other schools and is coordinating a market assessment to gauge interest in a community affiliated with University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, one hour south of Boston.