Senior Living: The Arbors

Assisted living facility still coming to El Dorado.

The Arbors rendering.
The Arbors rendering.

The Arbors is still coming to El Dorado.

There have been delays in plans for the new assisted living community since city officials first heard a presentation about the project late last spring but Nick Landers, co-owner and general manager, has offered assurances that The Arbors is still a-go.

Landers, also owner of Landers Development LLC, and his team plan to build a $15 million senior living community on 20 acres in the area of U.S. 167-B and Arkansas 7, just outside city limits.

The local facility will have similar architectural features and accommodations as The Arbors of Russellville, Landers said.

Plans call for a gated, Level II assisted living facility with 75 beds — 15 of which will be dedicated to a memory care unit.

Level II assisted living communities offer 24-hour nursing services with a registered nurse on staff or on contract, in addition to providing meals, housekeeping, transportation, laundry, activities and other accommodations for residents.

Each apartment in The Arbors features a living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette with a mini-fridge, ceiling fan, individual heat and air system and more.

For the El Dorado facility, eight individual cottages, or garden homes, will also be built for seniors who largely live independently. Residents who lease garden apartments will still have access to all the services and amenities that are offered at The Arbors.

Garden homes will provide 1,400 square feet of living space with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, laundry room with a washer and dryer and a two-car garage.

The main lodge will measure 2,400 square feet with two fireplaces, an aquarium and a piano.

Landers has said the goal of The Arbors is not only to provide a safe, secure environment for residents but also a space that has a resort-like appeal with all the comforts that make it feel like home.

To that end, a host of services and amenities are available at The Arbors. They include:

• A restaurant with an "elegant" dining room, menu dining, chef-prepared meals and diet accommodations. A private dining room will be available for families, friends and other guests. Residents may cook their own meals, dine in the restaurant or request that food from the restaurant be delivered to their apartments or cottages.

• Porches and courtyards with outdoor fire pits.

• A chapel.

• A salon offering beautician and barber services and manicures and pedicures.

• Nine-hole putting green and bocce ball play areas.

• A game room.

• A movie theater.

• 24-hour nursing care.

• Onsite activity director and planned social and spiritual activities.

• Transportation.

• Personal laundry services.

Utilities, wi-fi, cable TV and phone service are all a part of The Arbors package.

Search for a new site

In June 2019, John Sledge, who formerly served as project manager for the El Dorado project, told the El Dorado City Council that the group first visited the area nearly four years ago in search of a new site for an Arbors community.

Sledge said he was immediately impressed with El Dorado.

"Some of the local businesses here were telling us one thing they needed was a really nice location," Sledge said.

"They're missing out on a lot of people moving into this area because they want a place to put their homes. A lot of them were telling us that they're paying private care for their elderly parents," he continued.

Pointing to the economic impact The Arbors could have on the community, Sledge said between 40 and 50 employees — including RNs, activity directors and chefs — will be hired.

Developers also plan to work with colleges and universities, including South Arkansas Community College, in the region to fill out the nursing rotations, he said.

At the time, Sledge told city officials that a similar project was underway in Russellville and its anticipated completion date was August 2019, the same month developers had anticipated breaking ground on The Arbors in El Dorado.

"We were hoping to be here by now but we're doing an Arbors in Russellville and as it's turned out, that project has taken five months longer than we anticipated," Landers explained earlier this month.

He said some clearing has already been done on the El Dorado site, adding that crews had to remove historically relevant items, including an old cabin, from the property.

Following a historical survey that was conducted with the assistance of Union County Judge Mike Loftin, developers encountered another historical "artifact" on the site, Landers said.

"It's an old black walnut tree that's leaning and its root system is sticking out of the ground. It looks like it's about to fall down," he said.

One thought has been to take down the tree and incorporate it into the construction of The Arbors, possibly a conference-room table or the mantels of a fireplace, he said.

Not only would a part of the tree remain on the property, Landers said, it would also fit the rustic architectural design of the assisted living quarters.

"It's going to be done log-style. You will not find a better looking facility in the state of Arkansas," he said.

He said the local Arbors facility may be "a little more squared up" than the facility in Russellville, noting that the land is configured differently at the El Dorado site.

Landers said crews hope to start dirt work in February or March, adding that the project has an 18-month construction schedule, weather permitting.

For more than 20 years, Landers has helped to develop and become part owner of several luxury, assisted living developments in the state, including the Fox Ridge assisted living facilities, two of which are located in Bryant and Little Rock. The Arbors of El Dorado will be the sixth such project on which Landers has worked.

The Fox Ridge facility in Bryant was the first Level II-certified assisted living facility to open in Arkansas, Landers said.

And he is eager to help expand senior-living options in El Dorado.

The Arbors will join Ella Manor in offering assisted living services locally. Landers said the community has warmly embraced the proposed project.

"The people in El Dorado have been nothing but wonderful to us. They've been the easiest group of people to work with. They act like they want you to be there," Landers said.

Providing "physical, emotional, social and spiritual well-being in the lives of our residents [and] family members" and serving God are two objectives of The Arbors.

Those words were imprinted in Landers' mind as he imagined the type of environment he wanted to create for seniors of all lifestyle and fitness levels — and with good reason and forethought.

"I'm 70 years old. I'm not only an owner, I very well may be a client someday soon," he said with a laugh.

Costs

Some of the costs for living in The Arbors include:

• A community fee is required with an application. The fee is refunded upon two weeks of residency. An applicant is also guaranteed a refund if there is a change of heart seven days after an application is signed.

• A $500 deposit is required for pets.

• The monthly lease for a garden home is $3,650, based on one-person occupancy. An additional $500 is charged for a spouse. The lease includes all amenities and services.

Certified memory care rooms are private and cost $5,400 per month.

For more information, call Landers at 501-920-3672 or 501-837-4157. Also, visit arborsofarkansas.com or the Facebook page. A virtual-reality tour of The Arbors of Russellville is available on YouTube.

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