Betsy Sheppard and two Gilbert & Sheppard Group clients were featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Special Section on Aging in Atlanta.
In a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution article on the increasing demand for senior housing, Betsy provided professional insight on the pent-up demand for housing that offers active adult lifestyle amenities as well as aging-in-place features such as one-level living and wider doorways. The demand is expected to increase rapidly. The Atlanta Regional Commission predicts that one in three residents of the 10-county metro area will be 55 or older in 2040.
Active adult communities with social and recreational amenities and maintenance-free lifestyles began to appear around Atlanta almost 20 years ago. “It continues to be a trend and is expected to be a very popular type of housing for the next 8-10 years, maybe 15 years in the Atlanta area,” Betsy said.
Jim Chapman of Jim Chapman Communities, a Gilbert & Sheppard Group client, was also featured in the senior housing newspaper article. Jim, a long-time home builder and current president of the Metro Atlanta Home Builders Association, began building 55+ communities in 2005. He has built 750 active adult homes so far and expects to complete the same number over the next three years. Jim specializes in ranch-style homes with two-car garages that sell for $300,000-$500,000.
A second senior housing client of Gilbert & Sheppard Group, Active Senior Concepts, was also featured in the article. ASC is currently developing its Celebration Village brand. Their campus-style communities feature both independent and assisted living options, including memory care, with upscale amenities located near the center of the property. ASC is now adding active adult homes and duplexes to the campus, which offer fully independent, maintenance-free living and access to the amenities within the community.
Betsy Sheppard, co-founder of Gilbert & Sheppard Group marketing agency, has always been a forward-thinker, so it’s no surprise that her business is focused on helping to shape the future for Baby Boomers and the generations to follow. Betsy and co-founder Kerrie Gilbert, are experts in active adult communities. Their business specializes in marketing these communities to prospective buyers and those who influence the buyers. They are passionate about the subject of senior living on both a professional and personal level, having helped their parents navigate housing and lifestyle choices in their later years.