C.W. Driver Companies, a premier builder serving California for more than 100 years, announced the completion of Grace Gardens, a 50,564 square-foot, two-story memory care facility for Town & Country in Santa Ana that enables the non-profit senior living community to expand its levels of care for residents living with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
The new facility offers 48 private and semi-private studio apartments, which are divided into four neighborhoods that are each attuned to the cognitive needs and preferences of residents. Each neighborhood has a living room, a great room and a therapeutic kitchen where residents can do cooking activities and share meals together. The neighborhoods surround a 3,000 square-foot central garden, which is among the largest for any memory care community in Orange County. The secured space offers residents independent access to open air, natural sunlight and walking paths to promote physical, mental and social health. Additional community amenities include a sun deck terrace, a full-service bistro, quiet rooms, a beauty salon, activity rooms, lounges and media room.
“We applied our wide expertise building senior housing communities across Southern California to this new memory care community for Town & Country,” said Andy Feth, project executive at C.W. Driver Companies. “Housing for people living with cognitive impairment requires additional safety and security implements, which we successfully navigated for this niche type of project, working closely with the Orange County Fire Department to maintain emergency exits during construction and adapting to COVID-19 protocol without missing a single day.”
In addition to the facility itself, C.W. Driver Companies also built a 24,726 square-foot subterranean parking garage with 52 stalls that will be available to residents and visitors. Grace Gardens also includes standard staff offices, a medical records room and conference rooms.
As a licensed continuing care retirement center (CCRC), Town & Country offers multiple levels of care to meet the specific needs of its residents. Independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing and rehabilitation are also included on the property, meaning residents do not have to move or be separated from their friends or partners in the event of their health care needs changing.
“As a nonprofit organization, we are so grateful for the opportunity to build a thoughtfully designed memory care facility alongside the experienced team at C.W. Driver Companies,” said Dirk DeWolfe, executive director at Town & Country. “We believe Grace Gardens will quickly become a vital resource for Orange County residents, providing comfort and care to families and their loved ones living with a dementia diagnosis.”
Town & Country is located in a walkable, central Orange County neighborhood at 501 East Memory Lane. The close proximity to Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and Orange County, provides convenient visiting access for friends and family throughout Southern California.
C.W. Driver Companies worked with architecture firm, Hochhauser & Blatter Architecture & Planning to complete the project.
C.W. Driver Companies has completed several senior living projects across Southern California for brands including Belmont Corporation, Jewish Home for the Aging, Welbrook Senior Living and Vivante. Other local and notable projects include the Yale Navigational Center in Santa Ana, HomeAid OC Family Care Center in Orange, City of Laguna Niguel Crown Valley Park Community Building, City of Westminster Community Cultural Center and the City of Newport Beach Civic Center and Park, among others.
