Bethesda Cornerstone Village, Seniors and Independent Adults with Disabilities Residential Community

Bethesda Cornerstone Village, a Christian community, is a new adult only residential community for active seniors age 55 years and older and independent adults with disabilities. Up to 25% of units will serve persons with a disability; and up to 20% of the project involves subsidized housing.  

The new 52-unit residential community includes: 

• 15 apartments in four (4) one-story townhouse buildings; and

• 37 apartment units in a 3-story garden apartment building.

The apartment building features 3 floors of one-bedroom (734 sf each) and two-bedroom units (1,024 sf each); a controlled, secure entrance, heated underground parking (a necessity with Minnesota winters); and heated underground storage space.

The ranch-style townhome buildings feature a mix of 2 bedroom/2 bath units with one-car attached garage (1,017 sf each) and 2 bedroom/den/2 bath units with two-car attached garage (1,216 sf each). 

Accessibility features include wheelchair access, no-step showers, wide doorways, and pocket doors as well as options for handrails and other mobility aids.

This 4.33 acre residential community, composed of five buildings and common gardens, creates an open feel, welcoming environment with the architectural diversity, program spaces and services to support residents and complement the existing neighborhood. The townhome buildings located at the front of the site act as a visual transition from 82nd Street to the three-story garden apartment building located at the back of the property. The townhome buildings were designed to blend with existing architecture in the neighborhood, and respond to the scale and differentiation typical of a residential town street.

Multiple exterior color schemes were selectively combined within each building to create the feel of different single- or multi-story residential buildings along a town street, unified by a common architectural quality shingle roof and traditional white trim. The same strategy was also used for the apartment building to create the appearance of several buildings within a cohesive, multi-story apartment complex. 

Site development work included planning and design for an asphalt paved drive encircling the perimeter of the property; visitor parking areas; a network of walks traversing the property and connecting to an existing community park; a small gazebo as a recreation venue; landscape buffers where the property abuts an existing community park; a rain garden; and a 25’ wide landscaped berm varying in height from three to five feet to screen the development from the adjoining neighborhood.