After almost seven years
of work, the Joint Emeriti/Retirees Committee on Housing is
delighted to announce that agreements have been executed very
recently for two health care and retirement facilities that will
serve the emeriti, faculty, retiree, and staff constituencies of
UCLA. These agreements have had strong support from the Emeriti
and Retirees’ Associations. Both agreements give UCLA people
first priority for enrollment opportunities. One agreement will
lead to the eventual development of a Continuing Care Retirement
Community (CCRC) to be located near the campus. The second
agreement relates to an independent living, assisted living, and
Alzheimer’s facility at the corner of Warner and Wilshire that
is due to open in July, 2009.
When completed, both
facilities will provide extensive opportunities for
collaboration with UCLA organizations and people for their
research, teaching, and service missions. It is anticipated that
a large number of residents will desire to participate in UCLA
sponsored events and activities while living at the facilities.
The result should be a strengthened set of relationships that
would benefit all parties.
A number of similar
university-affiliated facilities now exist elsewhere in the
country, and they have shown mutual benefits from a variety of
ownership models. In the case of UCLA, there is no implication
of University ownership, control, or financial responsibility
for the facilities. The CCRC will be marketed, developed, and
managed by a non-profit 501(C)(3) corporation in collaboration
with the development company PRAXEIS, headquartered in
Jacksonville, Florida, and will be a “buy-in” facility. On the
other hand, the Warner and Wilshire facility, called “Belmont
Village at Westwood,” is owned by Belmont Corp of Houston,
Texas, and will be rented to its occupants. Groundbreaking for
this facility was held on April 22, with participants from
BelmontCorp, the local homeowners association, the Westwood
United Methodist Church (the landowner), and UCLA.
The Joint Housing
Committee has had all but two of its present ten members since
it was formed in July, 2000, and all members have met almost
monthly over that time, in addition to doing research and site
visits. The committee was established by the Emeriti Association
(EA) and the Retirees Association (RA), and the members are:
Ed Retzler(RA)-Chair
2000-2005, Charles Berst (EA)-Chair 2006, Lew Leeburg (RA)-Chair
2006-present, Jean Aroeste (EA), Pat Faye (RA), Adrian Harris
(EA and RA), Eddie Murphy (Director, ERRC), Rod Rose (RA), Maria
Seraydarian (EA), and Dave Solomon (EA).
~Lew Leeburg, Chair,
Joint EA and RA Committee on
Housing
UCLARA, Past President
