Matt Anderson has a lot of patience.
With the Rye Planning Commission’s recent approval of The Osborn’s wide-ranging expansion plan, Anderson, president and CEO of the Rye senior living community, took a major step toward a goal he has pursued for nearly a decade.
Witnessing the surge of the nation’s aging population, Anderson began talks with Rye officials in 2018 about changes he envisioned to meet the demand for additional services and amenities. But it was not until 2022 that the Rye City Council approved a zoning change that would allow expanded use of The Osborn’s 56-acre campus.
In response to the changing needs of seniors, The Osborn’s plans have now moved to a new level.
“Perspectives change rapidly in senior living,” Anderson told The Record. “You always have to be thinking ahead. Over time, it became clear that our goal goes beyond the word ‘expansion.’ It involves an entire reimagining of The Osborn.”
Why now?
“We’re in a highly competitive industry,” Anderson replied. “If we don’t do something to change the way we deliver services over the next 10 years, the new consumer is going to be looking for something very different from what The Osborn offers today.”
Proposed additions in The Osborn’s first major update in 20-plus years include independent living apartment buildings, a new assisted living building, a wellness center, and cottages, plus underground parking and new dining options.
Anderson will need to continue building confidence and trust as the new project moves forward. He is prepared to hear from opponents. While the Planning Commission concluded that the project will not have a significant impact on the environment and therefore will not require a New York State environmental impact statement, Rye residents, and especially The Osborn’s neighbors, will continue to air their concerns.
During a lengthy series of public hearings, several attendees cited tree removal, wetlands protection, flooding, noise, and traffic congestion.
With more than 1,000 trees representing 132 different species, The Osborn is accredited as a private arboretum. Anderson has pledged that the accreditation will not be affected by the project.
“We will continue to engage all segments of the community in an open dialogue as the project advances toward completion,” Anderson said.
Meanwhile, Anderson and his team will be reviewing plans to ensure that they meet city codes, while applying for building permits, preparing architectural drawings and a marketing program, and seeking outside financing.
The years ahead will continue to test Anderson’s patience. By his own estimate, it will be two years before the project is shovel-ready and perhaps an additional three years before ribbon-cutting.
“The reimagination strengthens The Osborn’s ability to continue to offer a broad spectrum of quality care, from independent living to assisted living, from memory care and home care to skilled nursing and rehabilitation,” Anderson said. “In particular, it targets seniors seeking an active lifestyle that includes wellness options such as physical and recreational activities, lifelong learning and the arts, but who want to have The Osborn’s professional health care services at hand whenever they’re needed.”
Anderson, 56, has spent a lifetime working with the elderly.
“I was 10 when my grandmother died and my grandfather, who had Alzheimer’s, came to live with us,” he said. “I found I really connected with him. I’ve always had an affinity for older people and for caring for them.”
Born in Clifton Park, N.Y., a suburb of Albany, Anderson comes from a close-knit family. His father is a retired engineer, his mother a retired nurse. He has an older sister, a younger brother, and a younger sister.
His first job was with Wesley Healthcare Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., which specializes in senior care. He worked there for several years, first as business manager and later as director of business development.
Then destiny intervened. Mark Zwerger, then-CEO of The Osborn, tapped him to become administrator of The Pavilion, The Osborn’s skilled nursing facility. He moved to Rye in September 1998 and has been a Rye resident ever since.
Anderson is the fifth CEO of The Osborn, which was founded in 1908 by Miriam Osborn and John Sterling. When he arrived, he consulted longtime staff members to determine strategies that work. His 16-member Board of Trustees is largely comprised of Rye residents or former residents.
Through partnerships with dozens of organizations in Rye — including the schools and the Youth Council, SPRYE (Staying Put in Rye and Environs), the Nature Center, Arts Center, Rye Y, and Rye Free Reading Room — The Osborn, and Anderson, are woven into the community fabric.
Anderson is a trustee of the Rye Free Reading Room and a member of Greenwich Hospital’s Community Advisory Committee. As a Little League dad, he has coached and has served on the Rye Little League Board. He and his wife, Chris, are active parishioners of Resurrection Church. Their two sons, Ryan, 27, and Aidan, 25, attended Rye public schools and are pursuing careers in health-related fields.
Anderson has spent more than a quarter of a century in senior positions at The Osborn. In 2014, he was named chief operating officer, and has since been managing the entire range of residential and health care services. He became president and CEO in 2016.
More than 400 residents and 800 staff are within his purview, and he knows the names and personal stories of most of them.
“I have known few people who have the ability to focus on and remember individuals the way that Matt does,” said Bill Pearson, a Rye resident and former chairman of The Osborn’s Board of Trustees.
Anderson believes the relationships formed with residents, their families, and staff are the most important part of the job, calling them “the heart of The Osborn.”
“He has strong interpersonal skills, exceptional managerial and planning expertise, and deep caring and empathy,” Pearson said. “Those qualities have helped The Osborn gain a position of national prominence in the senior living field, and Matt is perceived as a leader among its CEOs.”
His task now is to honor and preserve The Osborn’s past while pursuing the goal of a re-imagined future. He is undaunted by the challenge.
“The Osborn has reached an inflection point,” he said. “The status quo is no longer an option.”
Sol Hurwitz has lived in Rye for 63 years. His wife, Nina, is a resident at The Osborn’s H.O.P.E. Center for Memory Care.
