An experienced retirement home administrator has teamed up with business magnate and philanthropist John Hemmingson, chairman at Lakeside Cos., as co-founders of a new 100-resident community for seniors in Coeur d'Alene, dubbed Hemmingson Senior Living at The Trails.

Hemmingson and longtime friend and neighbor Valeri Zaharie, CEO at Hemmingson Senior Living, are partnering on the design, construction, operation, and management of the residential community, she says.

Located at 4750 W. Breslin Circle, in Coeur d'Alene's Coeur Terre neighborhood, Hemmingson Senior Living will provide both independent living units and assisted living units for older adults upon completion in 2027, says Zaharie. 

The project architect is Todd Butler, of Coeur d'Alene-based Forte' Architecture & Planning Inc., who has worked with Zaharie on the design of other care facilities she previously helped to develop and operate, she says. Exterior architectural renderings for the project were created by Hampton, New Hampshire-based O'Kane Marketing.

A separate Lakeside Co. entity, Architerra Construction LLC, of Coeur d'Alene, is the contractor.

Zaharie declines to disclose the cost to develop the Hemmingson Senior Living property. However, a comparable project for a 137-unit senior housing community, dubbed the Gallery at Spokane, was developed on Spokane's South Hill for $25 million.

Hemmingson Senior Living will be comprised of five single-story buildings on the south half of the six-acre site that will be dedicated to assisted living for up to 80 residents. The independent living section of the property will feature 20 duplex units, referred to as independent senior cottages, on the northern portion of the property. 

Construction at the site started earlier this month on the first assisted living home, a 16-unit, 11,000-square-foot structure that will function as the main building and house the primary offices for the complex.  

"It'll take us 11 months, approximately, to get the first building up and running," says Zaharie. "During that time, we'll be staggering starts of the next four buildings, ... so every five months, we'll start another building. We should have the entire community done, probably, by mid-year 2027."

The main building also will house the Willow Stream Salon & Spa, which will provide pedicures, manicures, and hairdressing for all residents at Hemmingson Senior Living.

Assisted living residents will have their own private rooms with an attached half bathroom, she says. The remaining four assisted living buildings will be about 9,000 square feet in size each. Each building will have a common great room, an open kitchen, dining room, library, and laundry facilities. A secured courtyard will be created in the center of all five assisted living homes. 

Along with the 20 independent living duplex cottages planned on the northern half of the property, Hemmingson Senior Living will have a 300-square-foot guest cottage for visiting family and friends. Additionally, independent residents will have full access to The Retreat, a community center with an indoor gym, a coffee and wine bar, a billiards room, and a library lounge, she says. Exterior amenities include an plaza and patio with a porch swing, fire pit, pickleball courts, horseshoe pits, and a barbecue area.  

In addition to onsite dining, Hemmingson Senior Living also will offer daily wellness checks, housekeeping and laundry services, and an activities program.

With close proximity to the Centennial Trail, the community is expected to appeal to active residents, she says, adding that a future middle school that's planned across from the development could help to foster intergenerational connections between students and residents. 

Zaharie has over 30 years of experience in the industry and is the former owner and operator of two senior communities in Coeur d'Alene, The Renaissance at Coeur d'Alene and the former Four Seasons Assisted Living facility.

During her longtime career, Zaharie says she feels as though she's perfected a floor plan that enhances comfort for residents at different stages of memory care. Part of the floor plan includes a figure-eight pathway system to allow residents to, "continuously ambulate throughout the building without encountering dead-end hallways that could cause confusion," she says.

"We've gone to great lengths to have a light, bright atmosphere with tall ceilings and modern amenities ... which has a calming effect on our residents," adds Zaharie.

Partnering with Hemmingson to create and operate a senior living community in Coeur d'Alene came about from a longtime friendship between the two individuals.

"We've been friends for 27 years, and we're neighbors for many years and we always wanted to work together," says Zaharie, who asserts that it was her idea to name the community after Hemmingson out of respect and admiration for his contributions to the community, despite his protests.

The project in Coeur d'Alene is the first step in a larger regional expansion plan for Hemmingson Senior Living, that includes ambitious goals to break ground in multiple locations in Eastern Washington and North Idaho next year, she says.

Hemmingson Senior Living is planning new locations in Post Falls, North Spokane, Spokane Valley, and the South Hill, in addition to Walla Walla, Washington. The company also is exploring expansion to Arizona, to capture strong demand from retirees outside of the city of Scottsdale.

"John doesn't have to do these buildings," Zaharie says. "And I'm nearing the age of retirement and didn't have to really do this either, but we both jumped at the chance ... to build something knowing that one day we're going to be in one of these facilities and what would we want it to be like for ourselves? And this is what we're building."