Comments - Victoria Advocate

New jobs and senior living options are headed to Victoria as one construction project gets off the ground.

Ground will be broken Tuesday on Twin Pines North Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a senior living centergoing in at the corner of Mallette Street and Briggs Boulevard.

Twin Pines' Mockingbird Lane location has been in business more than 30 years, and demand was there for another site, said Phillip Hopkins, the company's vice president of operations.

"We're basically full," he said. "We needed more beds and decided to build an upscale Twin Pines North."

The incoming 61,000-square-foot senior living community follows a lodge look with exposed timbers at the porch area, main entry and chapel, according to a news release by Jamail & Smith Construction, the project's managers. A staggered wall corridor minimizes the institutional look and feel.

Common areas will include a soda shop, chapel, private dining and a gathering courtyard with an exterior fireplace, Darrel Smith, vice president of Jamail & Smith's Senior Living division, said in the release.

Two therapy units, including one that can handle outpatient therapy, are also planned.

"This project is a purely custom design, following current trends in design for skilled nursing facilities and incorporating three neighborhoods, each with its own country kitchen and dining, living/recreational areas, sunrooms and exterior patios," Smith said in the release.

In total, the project will mean 90 beds - 60 private rooms and 30 semi-private rooms. The center will serve as Twin Pines's flagship site.

The new community will also add 175 new jobs to the local economy, according to the news release.

Jamail & Smith Construction will manage a variety of factors for Twin Pines North, including site design, architecture, life safety, furniture fixes and other interior finishes, according to the release.

The company brought on Perkins+Will as lead architect, Faulkner Design Group for interior design, Encotech as MEP engineer and Urban Engineering for civil engineering.

Hopkins said construction will take at least a year and, although he isn't yet ready to book rooms, he's already received calls from people looking to make reservations.

"I just can't wait for it to get started so we can have the grand opening and see the finished product," he said. "We are very excited."

• • WHAT: Twin Pines North Nursing and Rehabilitation Center ground breaking

  • WHEN: Noon Tuesday

  • WHERE: Corner of Mallette Street and Briggs Boulevard

  • FOR MORE INFO: Call 361-576-9454

Source: http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2012/oct/29/am_twin_pines_103012_192326/

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