On December 9, the City Council held the first reading of a commercial land lease to house a new concept in senior care to be constructed and operated in the Farrow Road area of Columbia. City Council approval of the lease will clear the way for the Open Living Community to begin construction in the summer of 2010 on a new state–of–the–art facility that has been touted as a model for “aging in place” supporting the growing senior population in South Carolina.

The project, which has been in planning for the past three years, will cost approximately $50 million and will provide at least 350 jobs during construction along with as many as 250 new, permanent skilled jobs when it opens for business.

Additionally, the developers have committed to using local contractors and businesses to further improve job growth and economic development results.

Senior Matters, a geriatric care management company headquartered in Columbia, is the force behind the new project, and the development is a cooperative effort with the City of Columbia as a public–private partnership to provide first class care of the aged.

Mary Katherine Bagnal, the CEO of Senior Matters, described the project as “a new community designed for seniors that will allow them to move into the residence and access all levels of care without ever having to relocate to another facility.” Bagnal went on, “This is a team effort; we’ve put together the best in all disciplines to make sure this project moves forward and succeeds. We couldn’t have accomplished any of this without the outstanding support of the City of Columbia.”

Senior Matters has worked closely with the City Council and Business Development staffs to form and nurture the public–private cooperation on the project. Councilman Sam Davis, representing the Farrow Road area, was instrumental in leading this initiative and continues to provide direction to the Senior Matters team.

The project, designated Open Living Community, is slated to occupy land to be leased from the City of Columbia in the Farrow Road community. The cooperative effort proposes that the city provide infrastructure up to the property lines with the development company constructing the facility using private funding.

The Open Living Community team has leading companies that intend to provide new jobs to the community at all stages of the project. Senior Matters will be the operating and project management lead for the project.

Bobbitt Design Build is a design–build contractor for commercial construction that provides control of architectural design, engineering, permitting, and construction services under one roof in the Southeast.

The Bobbitt group will provide complete construction and project management in cooperation with the City of Columbia to ensure the project remains on track, on budget, and delivering a quality facility in the redevelopment of this vital area within the City of Columbia.

Grubb & Ellis, Wilson Kibler is a long time real estate company in Columbia and is leading the effort to bring quality commercial businesses to the project and to work closely with the developers and city to make this location a new economic draw to the Farrow Road area. Architrave Incorporated has provided a design for the facility. ..