COEUR DALENEA new company is building an assisted-living facility here that it hopes will be the first in a chain of five such operations in the Northwest.


The company, Four Seasons Assisted Living LLC, already has completed the first of four structures planned at the Coeur dAlene location, at 840 E. Dalton. Each of the buildings will have about 5,300 square feet of floor space and will feature residents rooms arranged around a common living area, kitchen, and dining room. Together, the four buildings will have space for 56 residents, says Valeri Zaharie, executive director of the facility and a part owner of the project, which is called Four Seasons Assisted Living Community. She declines to disclose the project cost.


The first building opened in November and is almost fully occupied, Zaharie says. Construction of the second building is under way and is expected to be ready for residents in March, she says. All four structures should be finished by August, she says.


Besides Zaharie, Four Season Assisted Living LLCs owners are Ron Glauser, of Coeur dAlene-based Glauser Construc-tion, Fred and Mindy Weber, who are physical therapists in Coeur dAlene, and Loretta Cotter, who is Zaharies mother.


Glauser Construction is the contractor on the project.


The dcor of each building at Four Seasons Assisted-Living Community will be based on a season of the year. The first building, for example, is the Autumn Cottage, and is decorated in rich colors and baskets of autumn flowers. The Summer Cottage will be the next to open and will feature outdoor-like furniture and brighter greens and yellows, Zaharie says.


A raised garden will run the length of the three acres on which the Four Seasons project is located, Zaharie says. The garden will be available for use by residents and staff, who will have the opportunity to grow fresh produce for meals, she says.


Four Seasons partners hope to develop up to four more assisted-living projects that they expect to model after the Coeur dAlene facility, Zaharie says. The (Four Seasons) name is trademarked across the United States, she says.


The company likely will look in Montana and Oregon for future project sites, she says.


Despite a crush of assisted-living project development in recent years, Zaharie says she believes theres a need for smaller, homier facilities that have the same services as larger centers, such as an activities director and full-time medical care, both of which are offered by Four Seasons.


The Coeur dAlene facility will employ about 40 people when its finished, she says.