New Peters Senior Center Gets Ready to Open

A new senior living center in Peters Township held an open house for professionals this past Tuesday, ahead of state licensing it expects to receive next week.

The three-story, 96-room center, which sits at the end of Cedar Hill Drive, will offer assisted living to elderly residents. The center, which retains on-site physicians and nurses, also includes a 17-room wing devoted to patients with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

When Paramount Senior Living invited local officials, health professionals and emergency responders to , workers were still putting the finishing touches on the posterior. The parking lot’s asphalt was a bold black, the lines a bright white, and earth still could be glimpsed through the grass that had sprouted around the center.

Construction on the building, which is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, began in January of this year, said James Cox, president and CEO of Paramount Senior Living. The company has other locations in Baldwin, Bethel Park and Mars.

The one in Peters is the first of its kind in there, Cox said.

“I think there’s a lot of awareness that we’ve created,” he said. “If you live in Peters, you don’t want to go to Bethel Park or Upper St. Clair.”

The price structure is all-inclusive, Cox said, with residents paying between $2,000 and $4,500 per month depending on their health needs.

If state inspectors license the institution next Thursday, as he expects, the living center will start taking in residents immediately afterward. An open house for the larger community is planned for early spring.

Approaching the front doors, a person is greeted with music that decrescendos as you enter the main lobby. Sunlight pours through a three-story window onto sofas arranged around a mantel.

“The whole atmosphere is designed to be very homey,” said Kevin Walsh, the company’s marketing director.

Rooms include a full kitchen and are available in studio-style or with a separate bedroom. Their bathrooms are wheel-chair accessible and feature walk-in showers with folding bench seats.

While the rooms are designed for single occupants, Walsh said, they are large enough to accommodate residents who wish to live with a spouse, sibling or friend.

The facility has several common-space lounges and an activity room, as well as a lush dining room, a cafe and a beauty salon. An open-air terrace that can be accessed from the second floor overlooks a large courtyard.

Walsh, who was worked with the company’s Baldwin site, said features such as trash removal and fresh towel delivery make living easier for residents. The center organizes social events throughout the week and even transports its denizens for weekly shopping trips.

Two chefs working for the center are alumni of the Grand Concourse restaurant in Station Square, Walsh said. Typically, he added, thinner seniors put on some weight after a few months.

“It’s like being on vacation every day,” Walsh said. “The folks are very well taken care of.”