New Senior Living Community Coming to Peters Township

Harry Funk
Observer Reporter

The land has been cleared and construction has started on what will be a 127-unit complex for senior citizens in Peters Township.

Minnesota-based Waters Senior Living broke ground recently on the Waters of Peters, representing the company’s second venture in Western Pennsylvania.

“Peters Township aligns perfectly with the kinds of communities that we look for,” said Paul Maenner, senior director of development, during a brief ceremony celebrating the start of construction.

John Hunsicker, senior vice president of capital markets and development, said the company has had its sights set on Western Pennsylvania.

“We identified the Pittsburgh market about four or five years ago as a market of growth for our company, because of the demographics here and also the type of supply of existing senior-living options, and the opportunity for a new concept like the Waters,” he said.

The company since opened the Waters of Wexford in Marshall Township, and plans call for a total of three to five communities in the market, according to Hunsicker.

“We like our communities to have a sense of place, where people identify as being from there, and we’re looking for places that typically have both a population of seniors who are our customers and residents, and also their adult children,” he said. “It’s increasingly the case that seniors are moving to be closer to where their adult children are, and their grandchildren. Probably more importantly, where the grandchildren are.”

He cited the Waters of Peters – under construction at Valley Brook Road and Friar Lane, next to St. Benedict the Abbot Church – as a prime location because of its proximity to McMurray Town Center and other attractions nearby.

“We try to be in the middle of a community, and this is a perfect example of a site that makes sense for our type of business,” Hunsicker said.

Tami Kozikowski, the Waters chief operating officer, said the company puts an emphasis on providing an inviting atmosphere for residents.

“We find that about half of our communities are filled with people who maybe had no connection to where they live today,” she said. “But their young children, now adult children, and their grandchildren have moved there, so they go there to be close to them.”

Continental Building Co., which has a local office in Homestead, is the contractor for the estimated 21-month construction project. The company also worked on the Waters of Wexford.

Once completed, the Waters of Peters will feature apartment homes offering both senior living and specialty care. On-site amenities include a full-service restaurant, café, fitness studio, theater, community room and underground parking.