Big Rock Partners, a real estate investment management and development firm, and Kiawah Partners, master developer of Kiawah Island and owner of the private Kiawah Island Club, are teaming to build a senior living rental community on the resort island.

The 200-unit community for seniors aged 55+ will consist of club residence units for independent living, assisted living units, and memory care units. Big Rock Partners, based out of Delray Beach, Florida and Beverly Hills, California, is an industry leader in new-generation senior living and has opened two similar senior living communities in Florida in the past year, in the Town of Celebration and in suburban Palm Beach County. Its communities, set in prime locations and with resort-style amenities, offer a rental alternative to traditional continuing care retirement communities that require upfront entrance fees. 

The as-of-yet unnamed community, estimated to cost $125 million, will be built overlooking the lake next to Freshfields Village, a town-center style mix of shopping, dining, and businesses, and across from the Andell Inn. 

“There’s been exponential growth in the active senior population in the Charleston, S.C. area,” said Richard Ackerman, Big Rock Partners’ Senior Managing Partner. “We wanted to bring a state-of-the-art senior living experience to the Lowcountry. When we found the land at Kiawah, we knew it would be the perfect place to build the luxury senior living option for which we are known. We look forward to a fruitful relationship with Kiawah Partners, Kiawah Island, and the greater Charleston community.”

“This is a meaningful use for the land,” said partner at Kiawah Partners, Chris Randolph. “When we took over Kiawah Partners five years ago, we held a number of town meetings to get to know the residents on the island and hear their wishes for Kiawah’s future. Senior living was one of the greatest interests the residents expressed.”

“There are current Kiawah homeowners who are aging, who want to downsize and require higher degrees of service levels,” Randolph explained, when asked why residents were interested in senior living options. “They don’t want to lose touch with their social circles by moving off the island. Senior living on Kiawah allows them to keep their ties to the island, and for many, to the Kiawah Island Club.”

Randolph says he and his partners immediately began exploring the idea,but would not move forward until they found the perfect partner. They are confident they’ve found the right developer in Big Rock Partners, led by Ackerman.

With plans to break ground in late Q4 2018, Kiawah Partners and Big Rock Partners have assembled a best-in-class team, including architects at LS3P, landscape architects at SGA Architecture, the Kiawah Partners design and development team. Balfour Beatty is the general contractor and Life Care Services, an LCS company, will manage the new community. 

The community will have its own movie facility, multiple pools, a state-of-the-art fitness facility with a yoga studio, and multiple food and beverage options. 

“As soon as we heard Richard Ackerman’s ideas, we knew it was what we wanted,” said Randolph. “This new community will be of the highest caliber, exactly in-line with what residents and guests have come to expect from Kiawah.”

The community is currently slated for completion in Q1 2020.

About Kiawah Partners

Kiawah Island is a 10,000-acre barrier island located 21 miles south of Charleston, South Carolinas that has been masterfully developed by Kiawah Partners for over 40 years. Kiawah Partners owns and operates the only brokerage firm with offices on the Island, Kiawah Island Real Estate, as well as the private Kiawah Island Club. The Club encompasses the River Course by Tom Fazio, the Cassique Course by Tom Watson, the Beach Club by Robert A.M. Stern, Sasanqua Spa, the sporting club and 9,000-square-foot Sports Pavilion, three private restaurants and the Golf Learning Center. The island is home to hundreds of species of animals and ten miles of pristine beach due to the developer’s lifelong commitment to conservation and respect for the natural environment.

About Big Rock Partners

Big Rock Partners, based in Beverly Hills, California and Delray Beach, Florida, is a private real estate investment management firm with a diversified portfolio including premier, institutional-quality assets in the senior housing market. The firm is led by Senior Managing Partner Richard Ackerman, who has acquired, developed, financed and operated commercial real estate and senior housing assets valued in excess of $3 billion over 30 years. Big Rock Partners principals’ experience includes roles as senior executives of public REITS, investment management firms and private real estate firms.