National Church Residences opens Walnut Trace senior-living community in Gahanna

A new housing option has become available in Gahanna with National Church Residences' Walnut Trace, a community for middle-income seniors ages 55 and older.

A grand opening of the $21 million independent-living campus was held Nov. 4 at 389 Olde Ridenour Road.

The 4-acre campus, bordered by McCorkle Park and the Gahanna Municipal Golf Course, isn’t a typical rental community, said Todd Hutchins, National Church Residences director of public relations.

He said the lifestyle community has a monthly fee beginning at $1,950 during the grand-opening special. The price includes utilities, with basic cable and Wi-Fi; housekeeping and maintenance services; flexible meal credits that may be used at a resident’s dining leisure toward chef-prepared meals and grab-and-go selections; a daily complimentary breakfast; life-enrichment programming with exercise classes; social gatherings and outings; a secured entrance; and an emergency-response system and wellness check-ins.

Cynthia Young, vice president of marketing, said the $1,950 is a grand-opening offering that will extend to the Basil floor plan and will be available until they are sold. It’s a one-bedroom, one-bath unit and is the smallest apartment, she said.

"Our all-inclusive monthly fees vary across nine floor plans and with various specials," she said. "We encourage individuals to schedule a tour so that they can see what best fits their lifestyle and budget needs."

The community offers a mix of one- and two-bedroom floor plans, with amenities including a bistro, a fitness center, a club room, a community room, an arts-and-crafts room, a library, a general store for sundries and a covered parking garage.

As of Nov. 9, 20 of the 93 apartments were occupied, according to Hutchins.

Gene Poirier, 79, is the first resident to move into Walnut Trace, choosing an apartment that overlooks the Gahanna Municipal Golf Course.

“I’ve been looking for independent living for quite a while,” he said. “Most of the facilities are older facilities. I kept driving back along Olde Ridenour Road here to see this. I thought when it gets built, I’m going to stop in because I really liked what I saw, and I liked what I saw on their website.”

What actually drew Poirier to the development, he said, was the fact that he could meet new friends and socialize. He said he also likes having no maintenance responsibilities, such as mowing.

“The food prep is great,” Poirier said. “But it was mostly about socializing.”

Poirier said he previously lived at another facility in New Albany for about a year and half.

“Things just didn’t seem to work for me, so I started looking around,” he said. “Prior to that, my wife and I lived in Gahanna for 25 years in a condominium community. So I like Gahanna, and I wanted to get back here. This was the perfect opportunity for me. I’ve been really pleased with the staff. I’ve made new friends.”

Resident John McCoy said he has lived at Walnut Trace for about a month.

“I lived in Reynoldsburg for a number of years,” he said. “I was attracted to a couple of things – mainly, it was new. Also it has a bistro in case you don’t want to go out and eat. I like to go out eat. So I can eat here or one of the many restaurants around.”

McCoy said his one-bedroom apartment with a den overlooks a courtyard.

“It’s very attractive,” he said. “There are a lot of nice people I’ve met so far who I didn’t know before. Also, with it being a new building, it’s really nice. It’s attractive. Most people who want independent living would enjoy in here.”

McCoy preferred not to provide his age but said he’s not the oldest resident.

“There’s a 97-year-old,” he said.

Nate Strum, Gahanna economic-development director, said projects such as Walnut Trace provide the necessary economic diversity within Gahanna to help aid the city's other economic sectors.

“With its strategic location near the city's Creekside area and various recreation opportunities nearby, Walnut Trace will certainly provide a boost to the city's overall quality of life for our active seniors,” he said.

For more than 40 years, National Church Residences has provided quality living opportunities for the senior members of the Gahanna community, Mayor Laurie Jadwin said.

The city also is home to National Church Residences' Stygler Commons, 165 N. Stygler Drive.

“With more than 60% of our citizens being lifelong residents of Gahanna, the need to provide updated and diverse housing stock to satisfy all stages of life is critical,” Jadwin said. “Walnut Trace represents the next tier of housing to support our senior population, allowing for the revolving opportunities of housing that meet the needs of all levels of families here in Gahanna."

mkuhlman@thisweeknews.com

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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Walnut Trace senior-living community opens in Gahanna