THE POINTE OF THE MATTER

Nothing says La Grange like the Pointe, or so it seems.

Having lived most of my life staring out at a nondescript courtyard or static residential street, I was awestruck at the views offered prospective new tenants at La Grange Pointe -- the new independent senior living complex at the southern gateway to the downtown business district --which sports diverse architecture within its own modern facade and an undeniable vibrancy.

Not to mention that every apartment in this new building is aptly named after the streets, roads and avenues of the village, each with their own historical context. How neat it might be for someone who spent their life on, say, Maple or Bluff avenues, and then their grey years in an apartment unit of the same name in the heart of downtown.

From the moment you set foot in the ground floor room-with-a-view "common area" of La Grange Pointe -- which just welcomed its second of a planned 30 tenants last weekend -- nothing says Sterile Senior Building at all. You feel like you're stepping into a Four Seasons or Omni Morton boutique, and I'm not just saying this to be nice. Once inside, you can watch the noisy traffic pass by, but you can only hear yourself think. It's that quiet, and without the TV on.

Leather chairs and earth-tone sofas fill a carpeted room as a (albeit gas) fireplace crackles in the next, much larger welcoming room -- each of which feature huge flat-screen TVs and can be separated from the bother of hallways, offices and each other by uniquely designed sliding "pocket" doors that create a larger open space or a convincing sense of privacy. The same doors also separate or expand living spaces in the larger upstairs units.

Or, for athletic-minded residents during playoff season, jokes Activity Director Paula Fagan, "a separate place where fans of two competing teams" can each watch their favorite club fight for victory -- or as the case may be, fall to defeat (but we won't go there).

Although the staff greeting visitors would rather not get into how the current market is clearly affecting sales of the interestingly packaged "rental" units, it's clear that if and when things start moving again this place may develop a long waiting list. The staff rather, is convinced their first tenancies will be people 62 and older (the minimum age, with or without spouse) who may be looking to take advantage of the floundering economy by selling the family home and investing in independent living with lots of amenities.

One of the most intriguing offerings to tenants and their families are the 16 so-called "Pointe Partners" this mixed-use development already has on board: a mixture of area restaurants, shops and the like who are guaranteeing deals and discounts not because they are seniors but because of where they live. (See deals chart below).

The partners -- which include such favorites as Roly Poly Sandwiches, We're Nuts and Palmer Place Restaurant and Bier Garten -- will not only extend deals to Pointe residents, but to those residing at the company's other apartments being built in Elmhurst, Clarendon Hills and Lombard, by design, in that order, they hope.

To encourage travel and camaraderie between developments, the deals in each town will be available to anyone from any of the four projects. Residents in every complex will enjoy private access to a rooftop outdoor patio at every site as members of an exclusive Pointe Club, a gathering place with wrought iron furniture and picnic umbrellas for socializing and events, quiet reflection or reading, conversation or just meeting new friends.

On recent tours of the facility, the American Association of Retired People and the Countryside Womens Club each took a certain fancy to the Club, so we hear.

Four units on the Pointe Club floor sport semi-private, fenced-in wooden patios, to host the occupant's own guests under individual rooftops with a standing view of The Club. There are also two terrace units.

Inside, the hallways are extra wide, the lighting is bright but not blinding, shelves near unit entry doors provide a place to set your purse or shopping bags and a plant or two, the walls feature art work and the common area rest rooms are unisex. There is even a lending library with no lines or overdue fines and a "cinema" room for all to enjoy.

The units range from The Park (a 640-square-foot, five-room one-bedroom unit with single bathroom, utility closet and outdoor patio) to The Kensington (a 1,257-square-foot, eight-room two-bedroom unit with two bathrooms, a walk-in clothes closet and utility closet). In the two-bedroom units, one bathroom is in the common area and the other is located off the bedroom. In the one-bedrooms the bathroom is conveniently located right off the bedroom.

"We wanted it to look like someone's house," said Marketing Director Linda Kunicki, noting the 'cocoon effect' of secluding one's self during old age is no longer the way of life.

"That's how I feel about this, that it's a paradigm shift in senior housing. We know we're living longer and the whole concept of aging has changed. Seniors are more vibrant nowadays and need to be stimulated ... Us baby boomers, we're gonna knock retirement housing on its ear."

The units share the same names on the second and third floors (there are no first floor units, just rec rooms, covered parking and retail) and are appropriately dubbed The Lincoln, The Harris, The Bluff, The Burlington, The Spring, you name it.

One promising feature of the development is the first floor space set aside for a few retail entities and a breakfast deli-style restaurant (of which tenants will enjoy private access without having to don a coat or hat in the winter), which OnLaGrange.com has learned could be an upscale eatery not as prevalent in the burbs as it once was -- and for which a letter of intent has been issued. Could it be an Egg Harbor Cafe or perhaps an Au Bon Pain? How about a men's clothing or shoe store, a dry cleaning dropoff, a Waiter on the Way or a tiny jazz club? Just dreaming.

Countertops in the unit's bathrooms are at a more reasonable height than standard apartments and towel bars also serve as grab bars that withstand up to 300 pounds each. There are
full kitchens, individually controlled heating and cooling units, wall-to-wall carpeting, raised electrical outlets, full-size appliances, sound proofing and lots of larger, lower and easy-to-open energy-efficient windows.

The master bedrooms have walk-in closets one can almost live in, where the only thing missing is a window and a sink.

Most units appear spacious. There are little nooks in some that can be used for temporary guests or a children's play or TV room. Windows have laminate sills perfect for sitting by them with a cup of joe watching the world below. And what's more exciting is the Pointe is pet friendly. It allows dogs or cats up to 25 pounds.

A majority of units enjoy beautiful views of Cossitt Avenue (and the towering limestone edifice of First Congregational Church of La Grange) or La Grange Road (where the rooms with the best view look down upon the historic La Grange Theatre (and, unfortunately run-down shuttered shops, all soon to be completely redone). Only a few of the units offer a less enamoring view of neighboring condo building (their windows) across the alley walkway, which has been rehabbed in a nautical green patio brick.

The concept of La Grange Pointe is referred to as urbanSenior Living and it's what they call "a mindset" that promotes independence and physical choice.

This is not your grandmother's nursing nightmare with linoleum floors and demanding nurses roaming the halls at all hours of the night reminding to take your meds or get to bed by curfew -- but home health care can visit when necessary. Simply, it's designed to keep folks as self-sufficient for as long as they possibly can.

People seeking a reservation at the Pointe will find there are no mandatory meals, and, it is suggested, a high probability they will never need nursing care or assisted living. There are multiple financial options available and many features similar to a home.

The three-story complex features a 24-space parking garage and a van for those who don't care to drive, weekly housekeeping (with double duty maids every week for people with special needs), security, maintenance, emergency call services and special events -- which Fagan dubs as a "concierge-based approach" to living.

When just one resident was living in the building in early October, staff hosted a pizza party and arranged delivery of a gift basket filled with treats from local businesses. Other events are planned in the coming weeks, not just for tenants but local residents. Watch this space and the Community Events blog.

Shortly after staff moved in a few weeks ago, they were contacted by a macular degeneration support group that assists people, mainly seniors, with low-vision problems.

And since their target populations are similar, the Pointe will offer online seminars to allow residents with vision issues to come down in their jeans or their socks and slippers and watch the educational program on large screen TVs.

How one pays to live there is better left to the financial consultants, but tenancies require entry fees based on the proceeds from the sale of their previous residence and annual income -- with rental rates as low as $1,350 per month and 90 percent refundable deposits. A flexible approach is used based on how people pay and invest their money. The community preserves a resident's capital while providing ways to for them to have more spending money for other necessities.

The Pointe competes regionally with the Devonshire in Hoffman Estates or the Meadows of Glen Ellyn and locally with Plymouth Place or Bethlehem Woods in La Grange Park or Monarch Landing in Naperville. But Kunicki sees the Pointe as a "slightly different" retirement community, with "a different twist," she adds.

"We're sitting down with people and developing plans to meet individual needs," added Kunicki. "We opened when it was just starting to get bad ... but have had great success. Seniors have started thinking 'sell the house and get into something more stable.' If you've got a great product, it's going to move, even in today's market."

'Pointe Partnership' Deals:
Marconi's Ristorante - $10 off coupon for dinner entrees Wednesday and Thursday;
Aurelio's Pizza - 10% off coupon;
Blueberry Hill - $1 off for $5 to $10 spent, $2 off for $10 to $15 spent, $3 off for $15 or
more. Depending on bill, discounts will range from 10 to 20 percent off. Residents get
punchcards and after 15 punches a free meal, and "blue bucks" for discounts for family members
and friends dining with them. Delivery available;
Starbucks - Free drink coupons;
Palmer Place - Six $25 gift certificates;
Café 36 - 10% off entrees Tuesday through Friday between 4 and 6 p.m.;
Roly Poly Sandwiches - Free cookies and $1 sandwiches coupon;
Mr. Van's Hair Designers - $2 off on Tuesdays;
Southwest Suburban Center on Aging - Transportation Guides;
West Suburban Chamber of Commerce & Industry - Resident Guides and maps;
We're Nuts - 10% off coupon for nuts and candy;
La Grange Public Library - guide to services;
The Dinner Club- coupon for two family size meals for $35 and coupon for "buy one dinner and get the second dinner half off."
Dominick's - pharmacy punch card for discounts on prescriptions, information on
transferring prescriptions and getting a $30 gift card, free glucometers for diabetes
testing and free assorted sample packs of products for welcome baskets;
La Belle Catering - Welcome to La Grange cookies and
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory - chocolates for welcome basket.
More information is available at http://www.livingatthepointe.com/.