SENIOR HOUSING Park Place opens apartments for hotel-like independent living

CORTLAND -- The bright corridors, compact apartments and the promise of boccie courts and a library persuaded Agnes Slywczak to visit the new Park Place independent living apartments at Lake Vista.
While visitors drifted past, Slywczak, 84, and daughter Irene Lutz moved boxes and throw carpets into their first floor unit of the $13 million complex.
By the time of opening ceremonies Monday, 31 out of 37 independent living apartments in the building had been rented, said Chris McKenzie, vice president of marketing for Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services, which owns the development.
The facility also has 24 smaller assisted-living apartments and 12 apartments for seniors with memory loss.
"The place has a lot to offer," said Slywczak, who is moving from a condominium in Bazetta.
Amenities in the hotel-like building include public computers, a beauty salon and exercise area, and it is near the Lake Vista community center.
Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services began developing the 22-acre campus on state Route 46, adjacent to Mosquito Lake State Park, with condominiums in 1998. There are now 36 condos on the site, with six lots remaining, McKenzie said.
Residents and OPRS also pay full taxes, though the 55-and-older community does not send any children to public schools or require many government services, officials said.