Artists Colony, Los Angeles

Project Selection

Burbank Senior Artists Colony may contain a number of the following features but it has been identified by the Steering Committee specifically because it:

The following project description combines information prepared by the California Redevelopment Association and information obtained from the Senior Artists Colony website: www.seniorartistscolony.com

Project Overview

The Burbank Senior Artists Colony opened in April 2005 as an ‘intentional community’ centered on the creative life. The project’s goal is to provide affordable senior housing which promotes lifelong learning and artistic expression.

It is located one block south of Downtown Burbank LA, next to a kindergarten and elementary school where residents can tutor fourth-graders. Of the 141 units, 30% are devoted to affordable housing and residents are given opportunities to work in a number of creative groups such as the Artists Colony’s independent film company, theatre group, fine arts collective and internal cable TV station.

Why it is an innovative project

The Burbank Artists Colony is one of the world’s first intentional communities specifically designed for older people. Intentional communities for older people are starting to grow around the world, including co-housing communities, residential land trusts, eco-villages, academic communities and housing cooperatives.

The Artists Colony was the brainchild of Tim Carpenter, a passionate advocate for housing for older people. In 1998, he founded EngAGE and in 1999 he approached the Burbank Redevelopment Agency, with a vision for what was to become a first in the industry: an apartment community for creative older people that centres on art, creativity and lifelong learning - an environment where older adults can thrive.

Artists Colony resident, Suzanne Knode had never written anything creative but knew about being an older woman. So at 64, she wrote a script for a class assignment which her fellow residents transformed into ‘Bandida’, a short film that aired on Showtime. Tim Carpenter’s vision to create a place that integrates “active aging” has had implications for the larger arts community.

On a broad social level, the presence of the Burbank Senior Artist Colony has introduced a new level arts programming to the community.  As a historical site for media production dating back to the 1920s, Burbank’s population is full of residents who have worked behind the scenes in film, radio and television. Frequent theatrical productions at the 45-seat theatre, exhibitions of artwork by residents at galleries around town, and creative projects such as resident-made films have enriched the community and made cultural activities a mainstay of civic life.

Built Environment

The project is a four and five storey structure with semi-subterranean parking for 113 cars and consists of 141 units:

113 one-bedroom units, average 58m2

80 two-bedroom units, average 80m2

Features of the community include:

Performance Theatre with stage and upright piano

Resident Resource Centre

Creative Art Studios

Business Centre/Conference Centre

Outdoor courtyards with a fireplace and fountain

Heated swimming pool & sun deck

Resident library

Fitness centre & fitness classes

Game room with billiards table & card tables

Art display galleries

Beauty Salon

Service Model

On-site assisted or support living services are not provided by the Artists Colony, residents are however invited to take part in free arts programs. The arts programs are offered by EngAGE, who also provide health and wellness classes, transportation, on-site educational classes and intergenerational opportunities such as arts and tutoring programs.

The mission of EngAGE is to keep seniors actively engaged in life, physically and mentally healthy, reinvigorated with a sense of purpose, and provide them with the opportunity to act as sages and mentors to younger generations.  EngAGE creates a sense of community, an ability to enhance continued learning and creativity in the retirement years, and a healthy lifestyle to enjoy independent living.

Who the project serves

Two years before the opening of the Artists Colony, news that a senior housing complex focused on the creative life was under construction brought forward 600 interested potential residents. There 141 units house a diverse mix of people aged 55 and over. Although the project is aimed at artists, there are no entry criteria based on artistic ability and commitment. The 43 units providing affordable housing ensure a mixed socio-economic grouping and the waiting list for these units remains long.

Funding Sources

The City of Burbank’s Redevelopment Agency championed this project from the beginning and contributed a US$3.25 million low interest loan towards a total project build cost of $18,197,000, as well as a construction loan of $14,947,000.

The complex was built by a private developer and financed partly through a tax credit of $11,063,000 (through a scheme with similarities to the Australian National Rental Affordability Scheme). Private financing contributed US$1.9 million to the project.

Today, 70% of the apartments are provided at market rent. The 30% that are devoted to affordable housing are heavily subsidised for low income residents.

Project Auspice

The Burbank Senior Artists Colony is a collaboration of three organisations:

EngAGE, formerly More Than Shelter For Seniors

engAGE is a nonprofit corporation that provides on-site educational classes, arts programs, health and wellness classes, recreational activities, transportation and intergenerational opportunities to older people throughout Southern California.

Meta Housing Corporation

A private developer, Meta Housing has been active in financing, constructing and managing senior and multifamily housing since 1969 and has developed nearly 10,000 residential units throughout Southern California.

City of Burbank Redevelopment Agency

The City of Burbank’s Redevelopment Agency pursues two primary goals: removing blight and the improvement and preservation of affordable housing.