Do the words “housing project” have a negative connotation in today’s economic environment? How about tossing in the word “senior”? Well many of the upscale areas in the United States are putting up major obstacles to permitting senior housing projects in their markets as seniors are showing a stronger desire to remain local to their friends and community but don’t want to move away to access senior housing that meets their current housing expectations. For many of these upscale areas, senior housing often goes through a tortuous approval process before local planning and zoning boards, according to Bradford Perkins, the co-founder and chairman of Perkins Eastman Architects in Manhattan as noted in a recent New York Times article.
“We call it the Banana syndrome,” Mr. Perkins said, using an acronym for “build absolutely nothing anywhere near anybody.” Owners of single-family homes often view senior complexes as just another form of multifamily housing, which they don’t want near them, he said.”
Cutting the personal and professional ties by having to moving away from their communities is an unacceptable trade-off when evaluating other senior housing projects in their area. Will wearing down or the aging of the politicians in these areas allow senior housing to penetrate these markets? Check out the article to see how some of the high end New York neighborhoods are coping with the rising popularity of senior housing.
