Expectations for retirement living have escalated since the Saratoga Retirement Community (SRC) was built in 1912, and management is faced with a growing population of seniors who want to continue to live locally as they age.
Proponents of a plan to increase the number of independent living residences on the Fruitvale Avenue campus from 143 to 195 say it would allow more local seniors to age in place in familiar surroundings. Currently, 85 percent of SRC residents are from Los Gatos and Saratoga.
“The last major renovation of campus was 20 years ago,” says Brian McLemore, president and CEO of Pacific Retirement Services, which manages the facility. “The people who live here today are here because we expanded.”
The 37-acre property currently has 143 independent living residences, 107 assisted living apartments, 15 memory support suites and 94 skilled nursing and rehabilitation suites.
The expansion plan calls for 52 new independent living residences in three structures ranging from 1,038 to 2,380 square feet. The number of assisted living units would decrease to 88, and existing 340-square-foot studio apartments would be replaced by larger one-bedroom apartments.
The number of skilled nursing beds would decrease to 52, and current shared skilled nursing rooms would be converted into private suites.
McClemore says the need for skilled nursing beds has decreased since the SRC was last renovated in 1999.
“If skilled nursing reimbursement decreases as projected,” he adds, “the community can offset those loses with additional independent living residences.”
The proposal also calls for a larger community room to be added to the original Odd Fellows Manor, built in the early 1900s and listed on the Saratoga’s Historic Resources Inventory. The nonprofit SRC is owned by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs.
This addition rankles groups like the Preserve SRC committee that are opposed to the expansion. There is also opposition to one of the three new independent living buildings, which would cover what is now recreation space in the middle of the campus.
McLemore says he’s continuing to meet with the SRC’s resident Development Advisory Group as plans evolve.
“Our current expansion process began in in 2017,” he adds. “Communication to residents and stakeholders is an important part of the process.”
The community will have multiple opportunities for input on the expansion plan at meetings of Saratoga’s Heritage Preservation Commission, Planning Commission and City Council. Interested community members can visit Saratoga City Hall, located at 13777 Fruitvale Ave., to review the proposed project plans.
