The Relaxation Garden adjacent to the indoor pool
Conceptual plan for the Learning Common
Entrance to Broadview on the drive to Purchase College
Live and Learn
By Robin Jovanovich
More than a decade ago, Purchase College president Thomas Schwarz challenged his board to put together a plan for an elite retirement community on campus. His vision was a trifecta: pro-student, pro-older residents, pro-Westchester. And while Schwarz retired last year and his official title is now president emeritus, his vision is coming together splendidly.
Broadview — Senior Living at Purchase College is now more than 35 percent reserved, we learned last week from Ashley Wade, Director of Marketing, in a phone interview.
Wade, who has worked in the university-based retirement community industry her whole career, said that Broadview will set a new high-water mark.
“One of the biggest differentiators is that we’ll have a dedicated, state-of-the-art Learning Common,” she noted. Within the flexible 10,000-square-foot space, which is designed for co-curricular use, there will be performance and exhibition spaces, art and movement studios, seminar rooms, and a lounge.
The Learning Common will be open to students and “knit the college and the senior community together,” said Wade. “Think what the students will bring to older adults and the professional capital that the seniors will bring to them.”
Broadview is designed for lifelong learners and those who love the arts. World-class culture — music, dance, and theater at the Performing Arts Center and a renowned collection of modern and African art at the Neuberger Museum — is just a short walk or shuttle bus ride away from the independent living complex.
Set on 40 acres in the southwest quadrant of the 500-acre college campus, Broadview will also offer over ten acres of green space for walking, biking, and nature-inspired activities.
“It’s upscale living, Westchester living for people 62 and up,” said Wade. The well-appointed facility includes an indoor pool and spa, a fitness center, multiple dining venues, and a movie theater.
In all there will be 220 homes: 46 two-bedroom villas with two-car garages and
174 one- and two-bedroom apartments with underground parking. Residents without cars can get around campus by shuttle and take a jitney to the train station.
Preconstruction pricing is available, and the response from information seminars and virtual showings continues to be strong, even in these turbulent times, reported Wade. “Older Americans, and we have deposits from people in their 60s as well as their 90s, have lived through it all, and they know that no matter what happens because of the pandemic that they’ll be older and looking for the right retirement environment for them.” So far, the average age of those who’ve put down deposits is 76, well below the national average.
Construction at Broadview is set to begin in 2021 and occupancy is targeted for summer 2022. To learn more, call 914-627-9011.
