The Watermark at East Hill
In July 2007, The Freshwater Group with investment and management partners, Fremont Capital Group and Watermark Retirement Communities, entered into an agreement to purchase East Hill Woods, a community of 169 independent living apartments, 25 assisted living suites and 35 skilled nursing facility accommodations in Southbury, Connecticut. At East Hill, each resident is provided an apartment, a wide array of personal services, and availability of assisted living and nursing home services at the on-site Health Center. The community employs approximately 140 associates.
The Watermark at East Hill sits on a hilltop, giving community members exceptional views the Pomperaug River Valley |
The Freshwater Group and Watermark are confident that their repositioning strategy will maximize occupancy at East Hill Woods. Freshwater sees opportunity to invigorate sales and marketing through the project's overall re-branding and infusion of Watermark's creative culture. The Watermark team will immediately commence a strategic re-branding through on site training coupled with aggressive advertising, public relations, community events, outreach initiatives and direct mail. The cornerstone of the campaign will be the renaming of the community as "The Watermark at East Hill", drawing on the history of the community but also focusing on a "new beginning" as a Watermark community.
The Freshwater Group will oversee a comprehensive capital campaign that will include extensive remodeling and reconstruction of the existing property. For instance, two new dining venues, an indoor pool and state-of-the-art wellness center will be added. Plans under investigation include the adaptive reuse of the existing assisted living accommodations into an innovative dementia care program and the addition of one or more new assisted living Villas (see Villas). Initial land planning is underway for the addition of new independent living cottages around the parameter of the 55-acre property. And with everything that we do, The Freshwater Group and its architects intend to sensitively blend our new components into the existing forested site with as little impact on the land as possible.
The Watermark at East Hill campus is 55 acres |
Over the next several years The Freshwater Group/Watermark team will complete the strategic repositioning of East Hill Woods. We are confident that our efforts not only increase the attractiveness of the community for the "next" generation of residents, resulting in increased sales and therefore profitability to our investors, but also create a place that invigorates and stimulates residents and associates to maximize their own potential.
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