From: Maureen [mm@agematters.com]
Sent: November-09-07 10:32 AM
To: maplewoodca@shaw.ca
Cc: Mary McDougall - Pacific Arbour
Subject: PROPOSED - Seniors Housing Residence on Mt. Seymour Parkway


Hello Tom,
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit on the phone with me about the proposed seniors housing residence by Pacific Arbour Retirement Communities. And for agreeing to read the detailed information attached.....and pass it along to the members of Maplewood Community Association. Your interest, comments, and questions posed to me were much appreciated.

You expressed concern about whether or not this residence would actually be for seniors or turn into "just another condo" development along the way. So let me give you a bit of background on what I do and why I know this will be a Seniors Residence and not just another condo development. My professional background and work experience over the past 17 years is in Gerontology (the study of aging) and marketing communications. I've consulted to most of the Canadian companies who build and own seniors housing residences in Canada i.e. Amica. Given my professional experience and personal experience, I can genuinely say that Pacific Arbour is positively different. Case in point, my father-in-law Murdoch Maclachlan, lived at Pacific Arbour's North Vancouver residence, The Summerhill,  at 135 West 15th.

Pacific Arbour specializes in building seniors housing. This is why I'm certain that the Seymour project will be for seniors. Pacific Arbour is:     
  a.. a small company (only two retirement residences in the Lower Mainland); 
  b.. locally owned and operated; 
  c.. managed by the company itself, with its own employees, not by a management company; 
  d.. gives back to the community long term i.e. Lead sponsor of Eldercollege at Capilano College; 
  e.. is committed to being involved in a variety of worthy community causes long term i.e. Lead sponsor of Silver Harbour Seniors Centre on Lonsdale; donor to the new library in Lynn Valley; sponsor of the Cap College Summer Kids Cooking Camp; 
  f.. builds RENTAL residences for seniors, not condos. i.e. The Summerhill www.thesummerhill.ca in North Van and The Mulberry www.themulberry.ca in Burnaby. 
  g.. designs the whole residence - the suites, the indoor common areas, the outdoor spaces - to suit the needs of seniors.
I've attached lots of information for you and your association members - a letter of introduction from Mary McDougall, President of Pacific Arbour; the story board describing the proposed residence; a questionnaire that I hope you'll complete and send back to us; a handout with a brief description of the proposed residenc; and a poster for the Nov. 22nd Open House at Mount Seymour United Church.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this material and forwarding it to anyone and everyone who could be interested in this proposed residence. Pacific Arbour will continue to keep you up-to-dated on the proposed residence.  And Mary McDougall will phone you to set up a meeting with your Maplewood Community Association.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please call Mary McDougall at 604-623-3411 or me. We look forward to meeting all of you, your association members, friends, and neighbours at the next 
Open House, Thursday, Nov. 22nd, 6 pm, Mt. Seymour United.

Kind regards,

Maureen Maclachlan
Age Matters Communications Group
P: 604-228-8777
E: mm@agematters.com