{SA} Rendering and Info for Air Force Village Upgrade

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Air Force Village is gearing up for a $145 million, five-year renovation and expansion that will add more than 250 new residences, retail shops, a theater and multiple dining venues.

The nonprofit Air Force Village Inc., which owns the community, hopes the town center format that mixes retail and housing with larger floor plans will allow it to attract a younger group of military retirees and their spouses.

The retirement community dates to 1970, when Air Force Village I was opened off Loop 410 near Lackland AFB to provide affordable housing and discounted medical care to widows of military officers. The more spacious Air Force Village II was added in 1987 on 660 acres off U.S. 90 West outside Loop 1604. Today, about 1,300 retired military officers, spouses and widows lease homes in the two locations.

Both Air Force Village I and II will benefit from the renovation.

Starting next year, Air Force Village I will be remodeled to include a town center that has a bistro, a coffee shop, an art gallery and spas. A multipurpose room on the 16th floor of the high-rise building will become a cocktail lounge and dining room.

The existing cottages will be replaced by groupings of 12 to 14 apartments in three- and four-story buildings. In 2010, plans call for construction to begin on a new health care center that will have single-person suites grouped around common living areas to replace the existing nursing home.

Air Force Village II will get a new health care center, upscale dining facility and 75 new ranch houses ranging between 1,400 and 2,200 square feet. In 2011 or 2012, a new mixed-use town center featuring apartments and retail — including restaurants, a spa and a theater — will be added.

For the new units, residents will pay a one-time residency fee ranging between $100,000 and $345,000, a 17 percent to 33 percent increase above current rates. They also will pay an additional monthly fee ranging between $1,600 and $4,100. In exchange, they can live in the homes maintenance-free and receive discounted medical services for life. Residents also receive free housekeeping, electric and water utilities as well as social programs.

Historically, the community has appealed to people who want guaranteed housing without the hassles of home repairs and a way to limit medical expenses as they aged.

Retired Lt. Col. David McBride, 74, and wife, Leonora, 71, are typical of many residents. They sold their condo in Bradenton, Fla., and moved into a two-bedroom townhouse in Air Force Village II last year to ensure they would have a home and people to interact with as they aged, without imposing on their children.

“This is kind of like going back into the military in a way,” David McBride said. “For people who have been in the military a long time, it becomes like a family where everybody looks out for everybody.

“The primary thing I was thinking about in choosing Air Force Village was my wife, and that men tend to predecease their wives. I didn't want her to be alone. (Air Force Village) provides me with peace of mind that she is among friends and won't be isolated.”

The renovations and expansion are designed to address retirees' requests for more varied social and living arrangements. The communities now offer fitness classes, a woodworking shop, a library, religious programs and computer classes. But dining in both communities is limited to set hours in just two dining rooms. Residents also must leave the communities to shop.

“New consumers are demanding more flexible living options,” said Keith Evans, the community's vice president of marketing and public relations. “Now we have dining rooms with set hours; but with the town centers, residents will be able to dine in different settings at different times.”

The developer hopes the larger ranch houses at Air Force Village II will appeal to residents who want to live in a community of people with similar military backgrounds without having to give up treasured household possessions. Current housing floor plans are less than 1,800 square feet.

“Many of the people we talk to now have 3,000-square-foot homes and can't see how they would downsize that much,” said Leslie Cisneros, the marketing counselor. “We have people who have expressed an interest in Air Force Village, but are not ready to make that move. We hope the new larger residences will help them make the jump.”

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from airforcevillages.com: