Expecting full occupancy by this summer, the owners of the year-old Evergreen Fountains Senior Living Community in Spokane Valley say they plan later this year to add 12 more independent-living cottages to the 116-unit complex.

The owners, longtime Spokane developers Greg and Prokey Arger, say demand has been good at the complex, which is located on six acres of land at 1201 N. Evergreen, about a quarter-mile south of Interstate 90.

The brothers opened the complex in March 2008, with 85 independent-living units and 25 assisted-living units in a main building, and a cluster of six cottages for independent seniors just to the south.

All the units and cottages are rentals. The complex currently employs 45 people, the Argers say.

About 80 percent of the independent-living apartments are either occupied or have commitments from soon-to-be residents, says Gene Arger, Evergreen Fountains' advertising director, who is Greg Arger's son.

The assisted-living units are about 90 percent occupied or committed, he says. Three of the six cottages are occupied, he says.

"We should be full by summer," Arger says.

The Argers say the 12 additional cottages will be built on property they own just west of the current cottages. Wyatt Architects & Associates PS, of Spokane Valley, has designed the new cottages. A contractor hasn't been selected for that project yet. They expect construction to start by late this summer, and to have the cottages available for occupancy by next spring.

The Argers say they decided to open Evergreen Fountains because the market for a premier senior-living community was underserved in Spokane Valley. The $26 million project was first announced in May 2006, and took about 19 months to build, says Prokey Arger.

The brothers say they did extensive market research, including looking at senior living centers in Florida, Arizona, and other locales, before opening the complex

"We've taken the best, and applied it here in Spokane," says Prokey Arger. "We focus on providing for the mind, body, and spirit of each resident."

On a recent visit to the complex, residents walking the main building's warm and quiet hallways were open to chatting up visitors.

They brag about the facility's Jacuzzi spa, swimming pool, and in-house trainers, and of the competitive spirit among the residents who take part in a walking club there.

"I came here because it fit," says Ben Lenoue, who says he visited more than 10 facilities in the Spokane area before choosing Evergreen Fountains as his new home. "After being here, it fit even better than I thought it would."

Lenoue adds, "The people that conduct activities here—they're tops. They know what they're doing. The people here look out for our interests."

Kathryn Williams, who was a Chehalis, Wash. resident before moving to Evergreen Fountains, says she enjoys the numerous activities Evergreen Fountains offers, and prefers the complex because it's locally owned, "by Spokane people."

Bill Boni, who came to the facility from Coeur d'Alene, says he's there because of the swimming pool and "hot tub," both part of Evergreen Fountains' wellness facility. Water aerobics classes are offered several times per week.

The complex

The independent-living apartments range in size from one-bedroom, one-bathroom units with about 700 square feet of floor space to two-bedroom, two-bathroom units with about 1,500 square feet of space. They range in price from about $2,200 per month to about $3,600 per month, which includes daily continental breakfasts and an evening meal, along with cable TV and other services.

The assisted-living units range in size from studios with about 520 square feet of floor space, to two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom units with about 950 square feet of space. The prices range from $2,800 per month to about $3,700, which includes three full meals, snacks, an emergency call pendant, weekly laundry service, cable TV, and other services, such as an individualized nurse assessment and service plan.

The facility allows residents to have a small pet.

The cottages have two floor plans, one with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and about 1,450 square feet of floor space, and one with three-bedrooms, two bathrooms, and 1,600 square feet of space. They range in price from about $2,800 per month to $2,900, but include fewer services.

The main building has two beauty salons, two libraries, a massage-therapy office, a craft room, and a chapel that doubles as a movie theater. About one-third of residents attend Sunday services at the chapel, led by Evergreen Fountains' chaplain, Anthony Arger, a brother of Greg and Prokey Arger. Anthony Arger says he also provides counseling to residents and helps with prayer.

There are dining rooms for both independent-living residents and assisted-living residents in the main building, plus the complex houses Vasi's Bistro, a restaurant named after the mother of Greg, Prokey, and Anthony Arger.

In addition to the 1,000-square-foot swimming pool and eight-person therapy spa, the wellness facility includes weight-training equipment designed specifically for seniors, and treadmills to improve their cardiovascular health. Residents also have certified onsite personal trainers, and a full curriculum of exercise classes.

"Our goal is to get them back to a more independent lifestyle," says Prokey Arger.

After residents complete one program, they can advance to another program and continue to improve their strength, balance, and flexibility, he says.

"(We) embrace the philosophy of living well as a way of life," says Arger. "We look at wellness as part of everything we do from programs we offer to the services we provide."

Evergreen Fountains' "health-in-motion programs" include a fall-prevention series, "sit-and-fit" classes for different levels, and the walking club. There also is a walking trail around the community that is more than a quarter-mile in circumference, he says.