Garden Plaza of Post Falls, the big independent-living and assisted-living retirement facility that opened in late 2009, has been filling at a steady rate, and likely will be occupied fully within a year, says the manager there.

About half the 147 independent-living and 95 assisted-living apartment are occupied at the three-story, 265,000-square-foot facility located at 545 N. Garden Plaza, in Post Falls, next to the Walmart store, says Brian Teed, Garden Springs general manager.

"Our goal is to create a resort-style environment in which the foundation is fun," Teed says.

Garden Plaza currently has about 100 employees, and expects that to grow to 200 employees as the complex fills up, a goal Teed expects to meet by next fall.

"The economy has been a challenge for us all," Teed says, "But we have averaged about 10 move-ins a month since we opened."

Scott Person, sales director at Garden Plaza, says he doesn't expect the move-in pace to slow in coming months.

Move-ins tend to accelerate in the winter, when people decide they don't want to go through the hassle of another snow season in their homes, Person says.

Just over half of the residents at Garden Plaza hail from the Inland Northwest, Teed says.

"Generally, they are from here, or have family here, or have vacationed here and end up moving here because they like the area," he says.

Residents range in age from their late 60s to mid-90s. While Garden Plaza resonates with a resort-spa ambience, residents don't have to be wealthy to live there, Teed says.

"If you have a basic retirement plan with monthly income of $2,000 you can live here," he says. "You have to have a good retirement, but Garden Plaza isn't for the superrich, and we're sensitive to fixed incomes."

Monthly rents for independent-living apartments range from $1,885 a month for a 400-square-foot studio apartment, to $3,183 for a two-bedroom apartment.

Services and amenities include daily restaurant-style dinners and buffet breakfasts, in-room washers and dryers, and a full kitchen with appliances. Common areas for the independent wing include a large swimming pool and spa, a common outdoor kitchen, and gazebos.

For assisted living, rates start at $2,297 a month for a 324-square foot studio apartment, and range upward to $3,955 a month for an 839-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment. Services include three restaurant-style meals a day, laundry, and regular monitoring for general health.

Higher levels of care, which include assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, and managing medication, range from an additional $700 to $1,500 a month.

Except for a $1,000 reservation fee, Garden Plaza doesn't charge new residents a buy-in fee.

Other services available to all residents include social, recreational, and wellness programs; scheduled transportation to medical services and shopping in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene areas, and weekly housekeeping services.

The lodge-style Garden Plaza complex also features exercise rooms and restaurant-style eating areas with private dining rooms.

The independent-living wing has two large courtyards with cascading fountains, and the assisted-living wing has a smaller courtyard with a more modest water feature.

"There is something of interest everywhere," Teed says. "We want to have something for people to think about as they walk around. We don't want a sterile environment."

The complex is furnished and decorated abundantly in all of its indoor common space, which includes wide hallways. Many pieces of furniture are functional reproductions of antique desks, chairs, tables, and accessories.

Nothing—not even the selection of books in the many book cases—is left to chance, Teed says.

Teed, who has worked in the retirement-living and health-care industries for a combined total of 17 years, says the main trend he's seeing is that retirees are staying active into later years.

"People are living longer and are really trying to live active lives," he says. "They want to live in an environment that is positive and supports their goals."

Residents want to remain productive in some form, Teed says.

"They maintain hobbies, and have their own Web pages or Facebook accounts," he says. Some Garden Plaza residents own recreational vehicles and enjoy traveling, he says. A few are snowbirds and travel south for the winter.

Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Century Park Associates, LLC, which is headed by Bryan Preston, operates Garden Plaza. Preston's father, Forrest, is board chairman for Cleveland, Tenn.-based Life Care Centers of America Inc., which developed a skilled 63,000-square-foot, 120-bed skilled-nursing facility in conjunction with Garden Plaza.

While Garden Plaza and the Life Care Center operate separately, together the facilities provide a continuum of care on essentially a shared campus, Person says.

Garden Plaza is the second largest of 45 facilities that Century Park Associates operates in 19 states, says Teed, who is regional director overseeing four such facilities in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.