The Kenney, West Seattle's only continuing care retirement community is postponing plans for redeveloping their campus. The plan, which has been in place for the the last three years has been put on hold primarily due to economic reasons.

The Kenney has removed the four Notice of Proposed Land Use Action signs that line the perimeter of their campus. "We knew people would have questions," said Kevin McFeely President and CEO of The Kenney so it was appropriate to contact the media to let people know.

“There are a couple of issues,” said McFeely, “For one, there’s a new economic reality we’re facing that people are having a much harder time selling their home; something that’s concurrent with moving into a retirement community. Second, it’s much tougher to find lenders for new building projects. As we looked at this project we realized the need to scale down the redevelopment plan to continue to reach the needs of our current residents, our future residents and our neighbors.”

The focus for The Kenney will be on how to improve their current campus and programs. “The people that are inquiring into The Kenney are of a different mindset than those we’ve seen in the past,” said McFeely. “They want choices of programs and amenities, smaller but more efficient use of space apartments and options for various lifestyles. We’ve decided to concentrate on upgrading the infrastructure of our 100 year old campus, expanding our programs and services, and focusing on how we can reach the needs and wants of the seniors of the future.”

Redevelopment is not out of sight, however. The Kenney has begun the plans for a Memory Care Unit to be open fall/winter of 2011. There’s also more building on the horizon, but it may be a few years away. “We do need to have more people on campus in order to survive as a community,” said McFeely. “Not the original 400 we had once planned, but maybe 275-300. This new project will most likely start in the next two to five years.”

When the original $150 million redevelopment plan was announced in 2008, there was some community unrest. “I’d like to thank the community for hanging in there with us,” said McFeely. “We’ve gone through a lot of changes in the plan and I know it’s been tough not knowing. Scaling back will really meet the needs of our community.”

In 1909 The Kenney opened its doors for senior housing and now offers independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing on campus. Visit www.thekenney.org or call 206-937-2800 for more information.