IRVING, TX - Irving-based LaSalle Equity Group has developed seven assisted living communities for those with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia throughout the Metroplex and by June, the company will add Fort Worth and Denton locations to its portfolio. LaSalle's Autumn Leaves, an average 25,000-sqaure-foot facility for aging adults, is under construction at 7100 Dutch Branch Road in southwest Fort Worth while land is under contract for the Denton location. Both properties are set to open in 2009.
"There is a great need out there for quality care in this field. That's why we got into it in the first place," said LaSalle President Mitchell Warren. Autumn Leaves is owned and developed by LaSalle Equity Group and managed by LaSalle's subsidiary, Constant Care Corp. LaSalle was founded by Mitchell Warren's father, Win Warren, and Jane Anderson in 1999. Win Warren, who had several years of multifamily construction experience, headed up the development side of the business while Anderson, a registered nurse, ran the management of the facilities.
The first Autumn Leaves location opened in Arlington in 2000. After the first few projects, however, Mitchell Warren said the need for an in-house construction team was great. "We were using general contractors and it became clear that they didn't know how to do exactly the level of detail we wanted and they constantly came back over-budget," Mitchell Warren said. "So we decided to form our own construction subsidiary."
LaSalle formed Lake Superior Contracting in 2001 and brought in Robert T. Day, formerly of Turner Construction, to handle the construction of all Autumn Leaves facilities. Recently, Win Warren and Anderson have turned over the reins of the business to their sons, Mitchell Warren, who oversees construction, and Chad Anderson, who serves as president of Constant Care Corp.
Current Autumn Leaves facilities are located include Arlington, Carrollton, Flower Mound, Fossil Creek, Grapevine, McKinney and Richardson/North Garland. A typical Autumn Leaves facility rests on a three- to five-acre lot and consists of one main building with two 10,000-square-foot outdoor courtyards on either side. Mitchell Warren said the design of the facilities are meant to emulate those of an upscale home.
"That's how we set ourselves apart," he said. "When you walk through the door, there are offices, just like a home office, and a big open lobby with a living area and game rooms and libraries. But everyone is together. And of course everything is secure, since our residents require that."
Autumn Leaves features 36 rooms and are typically grouped into four 'neighborhoods' designed to help residents recall their location. Mitchell Warren said about 60 percent of the residents at Autumn Leaves locations have Alzheimer's disease, while the other 40 percent have some other memory impairment.
An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, which has more than doubled since 1980, according to the Alzheimer's Association. With the number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease expected to grow to between 11.3 million and 16 million by 2050, Warren said there will be a growing need for care facilities.
Prior to development, Warren said LaSalle performs an internal market study in addition to acquiring an external study for each Autumn Leaves location. "There's a strong demand for the business," Warren said. "People don't want to have to travel much farther than eight to 10 miles to see a loved one so we are careful about our placement."
Warren said the company is looking to Houston and Chicago for future expansion as the Dallas-Fort Worth market is rounded out with the additions in Fort Worth and Denton. "Even with the economy the way it is, people still need this service and we are going to continue to proudly provide it," Warren said.
Source: fwBusinessPress.com