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By now, Hill was one of Oregon’s leading gerontologists, serving on state councils on aging,
city senior program, human services advisory commissions – even a board bringing top entertainment acts to nursing homes. She’d created radio and tv shows on women and aged and been first woman to run for mayor of Ashland. She had clout, credibility and could get things done.
In 1989, Hill was getting ready for big leap into building a senior community. Two things pushed her over line. A seminar on power of change at her state jobsite (“I realized in processes and games that I was only one there who loved change and risk”) and offering of perfect 16-acre piece of rural property with smashing views, just on outskirts of Ashland.
Hill’s vision of her senior community was now in place. It would -- in keeping with her philosophy of maximum freedom and choice for seniors -- be a community with no big buy-in fee, where you own a condo or single-family home and keep all your equity, to pass on to your children.
It would be a community of active, mentally alive older people who didn’t care for rocking chairs. As it turned out, 80 percent have college degrees. It would be “aging in place,” meaning if you became more feeble, you would move into assisted living, but still staying in same community, near your spouse and friends.
All homes would be single-level, step-free, fall-resistant dwellings and if they were on a second story it would be accessed by elevator. Homes would be senior-friendly throughout – plugins elevated, bathrooms with turnaround space, dishwasher up high, faucets with big handles, lots of windows and lights so you have no dark corners.
It would have a central clubhouse and dining hall, where you go (or have meals delivered to you) as you please, paying only for what you use. No three-meals-a-day, one-size-fits-all institutional drill.
Politically, community would be a liberated zone – Hill would buy and sell homes and condos, but Mountain Meadows would be governed by elected members of homeowners association.
Now, all Hill needed was money. She sold a historic home she’d bought year before, making $50,000 and using little known (“People hate reading federal tax regulations, but I was a bureaucrat and was used to it.”) tax-deferred exchange, which basically lets you skip income tax on earnings all your life.
The bare land was $125,000. She’d been reading a book called “How to Develop Property With No Money” and gleaned notion of offering $50,000 down and rest in six years. If she defaulted, seller could keep 50k.
“My realtor laughed and said I was nuts. No one would accept an offer like that. I went to seller with my resume and references and told her my vision. She said yes. We were off. It was a huge step. I was absolutely terrified.”
Hill, by then a licensed realtor, knew real estate and she knew city politics. But she didn’t know land development or building. She needed a partner. She took on Larry Medinger, a former city planning commission member who’d built several successful subdivisions. The partnership, a 50-50 deal, worked and Medinger drew architectural style from Craftsman homes – a tradition comforting to seniors -- in his hometown in Nebraska.
Money came from local friends who wanted to invest in something positive and nearby, Hill said, and from her savings and income selling real estate (and her husband’s job). A local bank provided first construction loan for single-family homes, with all proceeds rolled back into next homes, as well as development of common spaces – walks, parks, ponds, garden – and, eventually large clubhouse and spa.
“There was nothing like Mountain Meadows in Oregon,” she said. “We had to look outside for expertise about how to do this. We went to National Council on Senior Housing Convention and spent day with architects brainstorming about how to lay out community.
“We chose architect with best ideas and site design (Mithune Partners, Seattle). We went on to assemble a great team -- best lawyers, accountants, surveyors, engineers and landscape architects. We wanted quality in everything and it came back to us tenfold.”
The community has picked up a slew of awards, including Best Small Active Adult Retirement Community in America (from National Council on Seniors’ Housing), 100 Best Master-Planned Communities (from Where to Retire Magazine), Best Senior Housing Gold Nugget Grand Award (from Pacific Coast Builders Conference) and Community Development Award (from Jackson County Citizens League).
The community – 65 free-standing homes and 160 condos, all housing 225 people – has one more building to go, probably rental apartments for seniors who don’t want hassle of owning property or are checking out town for possible later purchase.
Turning place over to residents? “It seemed like right thing to do,” said Hill. “It has lowered monthly fees (maintenance, meals, fitness center, etc.) by $150 and it’s created a self-sustaining community. They adjust fees to meet their needs, not mine. And they make their own decisions without some corporation dictating to them.”
Now Madeline, a resident of Mountain Meadows, just makes her living selling remaining condos. She won’t realize her profit until last few are sold.
“I thought is would be kind of small when we started but it ended up costing much more, taking much longer and being much bigger than I ever dreamed. If I had it to do over again I’d get partners with money. We’ve had to spend so much on financing, profit could turn out to be small. But values – that was primary thing to me, and we’ve been able to stick by values.”
Freelance writer living in Ashland Ore.
