Snowbirds Rejoice! U.S. Developers Reimagine Seniors Residences with Booze, Billiards and Yoga

Attention senior Canadian snowbirds – the living is about to get even better in Florida. According to the Miami Herald, multiple real estate developers in Miami-Dade County are building housing developments that will reimagine what “senior living” means.

“These new developments are different from the golf- and tennis-centric senior communities of the previous generation, which emphasized quiet, tranquil elegance away from dense urban areas,” the story explains, noting that these new communities are often restricted to residents over the age of 55 who don’t require assisted living. They range from rentals to condos for purchase and aim to inspire – and help facilitate – active, outgoing, healthy aging.

Take, for example, Overture Dadeland Apartments, a new luxury seniors rental building. “Amenities in the building are designed to encourage social interaction,” the story notes. “Among them: a billiards and game room, cooking classes, a private tenants-only movie theater, potluck dinners and ‘Yappy Hours,’ or social mixers, for tenants and their pets.”

The story adds that some residences will also offer opportunities to grab a drink with friends or take classes to learn new technology.

“This product type is still relatively new,” Luis Martinez, who serves as senior executive vice president of Graham Companies, which is working on likeminded seniors residences, told the Herald. “There are a lot of people who don’t necessarily want to live next door to millennials but aren’t ready to go into a facility, either. There’s a growing demand for this product across the whole country.”

The piece also notes that these sorts of retirement communities are popping up across the U.S., with more than 30 already built or committed to.

Of course, this is great news not just for the estimated 74 million-plus seniors living down south, but also for Florida-bound Canadian snowbirds who don’t want to spend their winter months sweating over a card table while waiting for the early bird special. In fact, if these new residences incorporate Canadian maple syrup into their menus, add Canuck brews to their bars and a install a satellite link for Hockey Night in Canada, those snowbirds might choose to nest there for good.