Ecumen Joins Commercial Equity Partners to Propose Lifestyle Community for Seniors Adjacent to Woodwinds Health Campus in Woodbury

Shoreview, MN (PRWeb) January 25, 2007 -- Ecumen, Minnesota's largest non-profit senior housing company, has joined with Commercial Equity Partners, developer of Woodbury's Tamarack Hills Business Lifestyle Campus™, to propose a new lifestyle community for seniors who want to live in Woodbury.

The proposed development, called Crestwood Creek, would focus on meeting people's desires for lifestyle housing that provides convenience, a strong sense of community, a variety of services, wellness opportunities that energize mind, body and spirit, and easy access to leading medical care. Crestwood Creek would be built adjacent to Woodwinds Health Campus. To advance a proposal, the City of Woodbury must allow a lifestyle community for seniors on the 23-acre parcel, rather than a medical office building. The land is currently under a moratorium, which members of the City Council will examine in a February 27th City Council workshop meeting.

"Our customers are telling us that they want housing that allows them to live life on their terms in communities that they love," said Steve Ordahl, Ecumen's senior vice president of business development. "They desire places to live that allow them to live independently and fully as possible, but that also provide easy access to medical care when needed. These are very different from retirement communities that have been built in the past in Minnesota. We envision a development that will fit very well with Woodbury's strategy of building a high-quality, well-planned, livable community for all ages."

As currently planned, the Crestwood Creek development would include independent living, assisted living, a wellness center with fitness center, spa and aquatic therapy, transitional care and memory care. Amenities would include concierge services, an on-site post office, bank, general store and regular transportation to Woodwinds and other areas of the community. The site also would feature a primary care clinic/medical office building with an emphasis in geriatric medicine.

"We chose Ecumen because of a shared commitment to create a quality of life for seniors and provide quality jobs in Woodbury," said Bill Knutson, vice president, healthcare/senior living properties for Commercial Equity Partners. "Ecumen is a leader in this new approach to 'aging in place.' We believe that Healtheast's Woodwinds Health Campus has 'set the stage' for 21st century hospital care and, after hearing Woodwinds' goals for future development of its campus, we are proud to partner with Ecumen to align Crestwood Creek with that vision for the benefit of Woodbury residents."

Ecumen (www.ecumen.org) is based in Shoreview. It provides a variety of housing choices and services for people 50+. The name Ecumen comes from the Greek word for "home", which is "Oikos." Ecumen works to create "home" for older adults wherever they choose to live. Ecumen, which is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has 4,000 team members who provide housing options and services in approximately 100 communities in the Upper Midwest. It was named in 2005 and 2006 as one of the "Great Places to Work" in Minnesota by The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Commercial Equity Partners a growing forward-thinking commercial real estate developer based in the Twin Cities offering properties, services and consulting. Commercial Equity Partners specializes in wellness-based retirement communities and Business Lifestyle Campuses. For more information on Commercial Equity Partners, visit www.cepcompanies.com.

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