Best of Seniors Housing

Central Parke at Victoria Falls Chosen Best in Seniors Housing by National Association of Home Builders

Laurel, MD – January 23, 2006. Slenker Communities’s Laurel, Maryland community, Central Parke at Victoria Falls was chosen Best Overall Midsize Active Adult Community by the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) 50+ Housing Council. The award is the highest honor that a community can receive in a category! The announcement was made at the 2006 International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida on January 11, 2006.

According to Bill Slenker, President of Slenker Communities and Central Parke Communities, their 55+ Resort Division, “We are honored to be recognized as the Best Midsize Active Adult Community! The 50+ Housing Council is a major force in the Active Adult housing industry and to be singled out three years in a row is an incredible honor. We are thrilled that once again our Central Parke brand has been recognized for bringing quality, innovation, and spirit to the 55+ housing industry.” Burke-based Slenker Communities is a developer of award-winning master-planned, Active Adult, and mixed-use communities.

Last year, Central Parke at Victoria Falls won a Best of Seniors Housing Award for Best Community in the early development stages, the only Active Adult community in the Mid-Atlantic region to receive this honor. In 2004, the mid-Atlantic developer also received two awards for Central Parke at Ocean Pines, their 55+ community near Ocean City, Maryland. Central Parke at Ocean Pines was also named twice as one of the 100 Best Master-Planned Communities in the U.S. by Where to Retire magazine.

Mr. Slenker attributes their success to the fact that “we take the time to seek out desirable locations where residents can still live close to family and friends. We then design our communities with world-class, resort-style amenities specifically for the Active Adult and find top-quality builders to provide the latest in spacious, one-level living designs. We also ensure that residents will have the time to enjoy their new home and lifestyle by including our Carefree Maintenance Program at all Central Parke Communities.”

Central Parke at Victoria Falls offers luxury condominiums with elevator service and private garages by Sturbridge Homes from the high $200’s; Craftstar Homes is building one and two car garage villas from the mid $300’s; Drees Homes offers two car garage deluxe villas from the low $500’s; and Michael Harris Homes is building single family homes from the mid $500’s. In addition to the community of Victoria Falls being singled out at the International Builders Show, Michael Harris Homes received a Silver Award in the over 2,400 square foot home design category for their Thoreau model at Victoria Falls.

More than 105,000 housing professionals attended the event, making the 2006 International Builders’ Show (IBS) the most successful and well-attended annual convention in the history of the NAHB. The four-day expo began January 11 with Grand Opening Ceremonies headlined by former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

According to the NAHB, “Winning a Best of Seniors Housing Award allows companies to gain recognition and position their communities as among the best on the market today.” With 10,000 people in the United States turning 50 every day, the demand for seniors housing is now growing faster than the demand for any other type of housing. According to the NAHB, “The seniors housing market is the new thoroughbred of the housing industry, and the rapid growth is fueled by the millions of baby boomers who are entering the hot active adult market. The Best of Seniors Housing awards program celebrates the best and most successful seniors projects and recognizes visionary projects.” The NAHB 50+ Housing Council pioneered its awards program in 1992 to showcase the finest projects from Active Adult communities and senior apartments to continuing care retirement communities and assisted living communities. A distinguished panel of experienced architects, marketing experts, and other industry professionals judge projects in various categories of seniors housing design and marketing. .