The first phase of Greenstone Corp.'s newest 55-plus residential community, dubbed Trutina at North Place, is underway in North Idaho, says Greenstone CEO Jim Frank.

The residential project incorporates for-sale homes alongside rental units to allow for choices regarding ownership and liquidity, he says. Trutina at North Place will be comprised of 300 to 350 residential units, including about 250 single-family homes. Single-family homes will have an average unit price of about $400,000, adds Frank.

In addition, other senior housing units planned include smaller cottage homes with attached garages, from 1,000 square feet to about 1,300 square feet in size, and town house units and multifamily buildings with elevator access. The neighborhood will feature strategic amenities designed to integrate senior residents into the broader community, he says.

"Age-restricted communities are wonderful for building a sense of community," Frank says. "One of the realities about getting old is that you lose family and friends and it's very easy to become isolated and lonely, so communities like Trutina can provide an antidote to that."

Key design features that promote community engagement include a "solid, robust kind of pedestrian system" of trails to make it easy for people to get exercise and meet their neighbors. Additionally, homes are designed with front porches, smaller backyards, and strategically placed garages.

"If you put a garage in the front of the house and then you live in your backyard, it's harder to meet your neighbors. We're trying to reverse that," he says.

A planned central clubhouse will support community activities such as hobby rooms, a library, a fitness center, a swimming pool, a pickleball court, and community garden space.

"You try to provide those facilities and then you also try to locate the project in a place where it can interact with other neighborhoods," Frank says. "It's not like you're trying to create this isolated neighborhood."  

The Trutina project is part of a larger 400-acre North Place community currently under development in Post Falls near The Club at Prairie Falls golf course. The property, which was previously grass seed farmland, abuts Prairie Avenue to the north and Idaho Road to the west. 

The 55-plus community will be developed on about a quarter of the North Place property. Frank says the goal is to incorporate a residential neighborhood for seniors that's close to services and communal-focused amenities.

"We want the Trutina community to be part of a larger neighborhood. And while people like the idea of living around people under similar circumstances, they also want to be part of a bigger neighborhood," he says. "They want to be able to go to a neighborhood park and watch kids play baseball."

Infrastructure at the site is already in place and residential construction began this year. A community clubhouse is scheduled to break ground in 2026, he adds.

"Then we'll just build the community out in phases depending on market demand," says Frank.

Residential construction is expected at a pace of 25 to 40 houses built per year, he notes, adding that the entire North Place community is anticipated to span a timeline of 20 years to completely develop. 

The estimated overall development cost for Trutina at North Place is $140 million.

Trutina at North Place joins an existing Trutina brand of age-restricted communities, he says. 

"We have one at Liberty Lake, we're starting one at North Place, and then we have plans next year to start one at Mead Works," Frank says.

Project updates:

*A handful of building permit applications have been filed with the city of Spokane for the development of River Family Haven, where the Salish School of Spokane and Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington are partnering to develop a $33 million project on the Spokane River that will provide a new home for Salish language studies and affordable housing.

As previously reported by the Journal, groundbreaking is expected in February, and the estimated construction timeline will take about two years to complete.

Spokane-based Architecture All Forms Corp. is designing the $10.7 million Salish school project. Spokane-based Inland Construction & Development Co., which does business as Inland Group, is serving as a project consultant and contractor; and Spokane-based J.R. Bonnett Engineering PLLC is providing engineering services, permit records show.

In addition to the school, Catholic Charities is planning a 72-unit supportive housing development including two four-story multifamily buildings and a three-story multifamily building. Building permits also have been filed for a 2,700-square-foot leasing office and clubhouse, and an 11,000-square-foot cultural and recreation community center at the site.