’Places to Age’ group presents 60‑unit assisted‑living and memory‑care plan on donated Salida land; seeks county support and funding

Places to Age, a grassroots nonprofit that recently incorporated as a 501(c)(3), presented a site plan and financing outline for an assisted‑living and memory‑care campus on property donated by Jim Treat and asked Chaffee County for continued partnership and support.

Cheryl (Places to Age spokesperson) said the organization intends to develop roughly 8 acres of an approximately 10‑acre parcel near the intersection of Holman and Poncha Boulevard, with a layout that includes about 60 units: roughly eight memory‑care units and about 48 assisted‑living units that can be used flexibly as independent living during initial occupancy. The group described an initial design featuring neighborhoods, independent‑living townhouses, workforce housing and a two‑acre park area donated by community partners; Angel View donated about 0.8 acres, the presentation said.

The project team told commissioners they have completed initial annexation, an EPA Phase I environmental study and a memorandum of understanding with the City of Salida that acknowledges the nonprofit’s pacing and requests for timing flexibility. Places to Age has hired an owner’s representative, George Anderson, engaged Oz Architectural Company as industry architect and retained bookkeeper Lisonbee Ramsey. The group said it will pursue a “design‑build” delivery model and is entering a pre‑construction phase that requires detailed site plans and market work.

Cheryl said the group’s market analysis and consultant work estimate a capital cost of about $30,000,000. The organization described a proposed capital stack that could include donations, local loans, bonds, private‑public partnerships and state or USDA funds, but said current federal and state funding uncertainty means it cannot rely solely on grant programs. Places to Age said anonymous local donors have pledged matching funds to support community fundraising.

The nonprofit said it is exploring Medicaid reimbursement options for assisted‑living services but expects to be financially stable for two to three years of operations before adding Medicaid‑reimbursed units; Columbine (a local skilled‑nursing provider) remains an alternative for Medicaid recipients. The group said it expects to create about 40 jobs and hopes to coordinate workforce training partnerships with CMC and other local education providers.

Cheryl asked commissioners for several types of county support: introductions to state contacts and federal representatives, grant‑opportunity alerts (the group will write grants itself), fee waivers or reductions through the city and county, letters of support, and modest annual financial assistance spread over a five‑ to seven‑year period timed to county budget cycles.

Several county commissioners and staff expressed support and noted the project could be a model for nearby counties that also lack assisted‑living capacity. The group said it will return to the county with more formal MOU language and funding requests as plans crystallize.

Ending

Places to Age said detailed site plans and fundraising steps will follow design‑build procurement and that community fundraising, matching gifts and county partnership will be central to moving the project into construction.