Plymouth Place

CHALLENGE:
Recognizing the rising competition, aging infrastructure, and shifting desires of prospective residents, Plymouth Place needed a phased master plan to revitalize the existing campus, enhance the dining program, introduce modern wellness amenities, and offer new consumer-driven housing options.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Based on the extensive master planning process, the project encompassed the renovation and remodeling of existing spaces, including a gift shop, multi-use area, dining room, exercise areas and art studios. The new construction of a wellness-focused commons, the Center for Healthy Living (CHL), and a new Independent Living offering rounded out the program.
• Thoughtful landscape design saved significant existing trees and added to the species mix, qualifying the property as an arboretum. This natural landscaping also informed the branding for the new IL component—The Arboretum Villas.
• The CHL features amenities such as an indoor pool and spa, locker rooms, a dining venue with vaulted ceilings and a fireplace, a wine bar, and a creative learning center.
• Clean lines, vibrant colors, and floor-to-ceiling windows create a welcoming ambiance flooded with natural light. The palette evokes hospitality. Earth tones, warm woods, and saturated colors add a contemporary twist while maintaining a cohesive connection with the existing community.
• New and renovated amenity spaces provide residents with a holistic environment that fosters wellness, recreation, socialization, and comfort within a lovely setting.
• Indoor corridors connect the CHL to the villa buildings for ease of access.
• The uniquely designed villa buildings draw inspiration from the Chicago area’s signature brownstone and row house residential typologies. They provide the desired density while being different from the bygone cottages of the past and the site’s eight-story, Georgian-style tower.
• The four lower-scale villa buildings were configured to support resident privacy. Each building has no more than six units per floor and offers varying unit sizes with customizable finish options, a private patio or balcony and indoor parking.
• Vehicular traffic was pushed to the perimeter of the property to increase pedestrian access to all exterior activities. A parking structure with a rooftop garden solved accessibility challenges while creating a unifying element to the overall plan.
• Each villa building offers a common area strategically positioned adjacent to the rooftop garden. These were planned destinations, including a club room and golf simulator lounge, to encourage resident interaction and activity across campus.
• The pedestrian-friendly site plan reorganizes green space previously divvied up amidst the cottages to create a dynamic outdoor gathering and activity space that unifies the entire campus. Residents enjoy bocce and pickleball courts, walking paths and a greenhouse.
• Success is evidenced by resident engagement and exceeding financial goals. In addition to resident donations to realize planned amenities, such as a greenhouse, gazebo, golf simulator and pizza oven, the actual income and move-ins have exceeded projections.
• Explore the Plymouth Place Master Plan.
• Learn more about this Master Planning Success Story.