Selecting a place to land in retirement for Meg Burke wasn’t like closing her eyes, spinning around and jabbing a pushpin on a map.

After the marine biologist, who spent 20 years working in California and abroad, beached her swim fins, she wanted to live somewhere that she knew she would enjoy and embrace as her community.

She fastidiously studied the nation’s offerings for senior living, and in October 2020 Burke paid a deposit on a new planned development in Colorado Springs named Aberdeen Ridge. She already had family and friends here and liked the mountains that seemed to be a compatible counter to her oceanic adventures.

Burke moved nearby to wait for her new unit to be built on the city’s west side, where residential growth is mushrooming at the plateau of Fillmore hill.

The complex had not yet broken ground though, as the developer, Wichita-based Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, said at the time it wanted to secure enough deposits for units so it could issue tax-exempt bonds to finance the construction.

The wait for inaugural residents such as Burke took longer than expected.

Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, a nonprofit Christian organization, acquired the Texas-based Sentinel Ridge Senior Living Corp. in August 2018. The deal included land near Coronado High School, on which Sentinel Ridge was planning to build a campus for older adults.

Instead, Aberdeen Ridge by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America has materialized with 235 units divided into independent, assisted and memory care living.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout of supply-chain delays and workforce shortages contributed to erratic progress, according to Jane Woloson, executive director of Aberdeen Ridge.

The groundbreaking was held on Jan. 20, 2022, with an anticipated opening in 2023.

Four years after she committed to becoming a future resident, Burke was the second person to move on Oct. 14, 2024, into the first completed wing of independent living.

Burke said the resort-style living and non-traditional payment model make the time worthwhile.

“To be so close to the mountains and Garden of the Gods is wonderful, and there are many more activities on the calendar than one person could do,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of good friends; people are fascinating with their backgrounds.”

Another independent-living wing opened last November. A few weeks ago, the assisted living and memory care sections came online.

The 15-acre campus is being celebrated with a public open house from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on June 12 at the site, 2744 Grand Vista Circle.

Music will fill the air, as community tours of the property highlight the event.

Amenities in the posh clubhouse include a heated indoor swimming pool, a spa, a fitness center, a barbershop, a coffee shop, a library, gaming and social spaces, and five restaurant-style dining areas including a bar, lounge and bistro.

There’s also chef-driven menus and an open-air kitchen so diners can watch while food is being prepared.

“We refer to it as a resort, but it’s comfortable and homey,” Woloson said. “You don’t feel stress or discontent here.”

Residents have a voice in choices

The campus for ages 62 and above is the 16th development for Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America and the first outside of its home-base states of Kansas and Missouri.

The Colorado Springs site is gated at the request of residents and uses profits to benefit the property, Woloson said.

She was unsure of the total cost of the development; prior to the acquisition Sentinel Group announced the cost of $80 million to build its senior retirement campus before shelving the project.

El Paso County records show the property’s market valuation today, which includes the new buildings, at nearly $99.5 million.

The location features 171 apartments as residences, 40 assisted-living units and 24 memory-care suites for seniors who have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

The details make the difference in memory care, Woloson said, where toilet seats are blue to account for tenants’ failing depth perception and coffee mugs are clear as a reminder of the liquid inside.

One- and two-bedroom independent-living apartments have several floor plans, with some 2,000 square feet in size.

Activities aren’t the typical bingo or chair yoga but rather a classical music group, mahjong games, a travel club and a lecture series – all of which residents started and lead.

Some tenants also named apartments for historical figures in the city and are educating their neighbors on who they were. Burke’s unit honors Winfield Scott Stratton, a blue-collar carpenter who in 1894 became the first millionaire in the Cripple Creek Mining District and evolved into a major philanthropist.

“A big part of our philosophy is supporting independence,” Woloson said. “The residents have a lot of choices that hopefully help give people a reason to get up every day. We have a quality dining program, which is so important and a huge part of our experience of people getting together.”

The financial model is unique to the Pikes Peak region, Woloson said.

Independent-living residents pay an entrance fee of between $300,000 and $700,000 and a monthly maintenance fee of $2,000 to $4,000, depending on the unit’s size, location and other elements.

“But once you’re in, then you should be set for life,” Burke said.

The locked-in pricing covers leasing as well as extras such as earning food points for on-site dining with no additional charge. Residents also receive free additions such as satellite television, a virtual voice system at home, transportation within a 10-mile radius and group outings.

Independent-living tenants usually get a percentage of their entrance fee reimbursed and pay discounted fixed costs if they need to move into assisted living or the memory care unit, Woloson said.

With varying levels of three, four and five stories, the complex is a beacon that can be seen from afar.

Under its Presbyterian owner, developer and manager, Christian principles guide operational philosophy.

A full-time campus minister has just been hired, Woloson said, though people of any or no faith background are accepted as residents, and there’s no expectation of participation.

Optional faith-related offerings include Bible studies, devotion groups, streamed church service feeds and discussions.

“We see spiritual care as one of the dimensions of wellness,” Woloson said.

Burke continues to hold a part-time research associate job for the museum she had been with in California and is a travel guide, including for groups from Aberdeen Ridge.

“To see people engaged, that’s the heartbeat of the community,” Woloson said. “I feel people are genuinely happy here.”