$81M community to be the first independent-living facility in Roanoke

Denise Lamanna, a Southlake-based Realtor who works with families transitioning to senior living, said amenities are a huge draw toward these communities.

“They want activities, the availability of medical care [and] pharmaceutical care,” Lamanna said.

The only other senior living facility in Roanoke is for assisted living and memory care.

Integrated Real Estate Group, the development company for Watermere on Oak, will also build a 30-lot subdivision and an eight-lot subdivision by the community with no age restriction.

The need

Roanoke’s 55-and-older population has grown over the years, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Residents eligible to live at Watermere, or those over the age of 55, make up more than 19% of Roanoke’s overall population, according to the five-year 2023 American Community Survey, which is used to collect demographic data on people and housing in the United States.

Virginia Lowe, a senior living at the Watermere location in North Richland Hills, moved from Tennessee to be closer to family in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Lowe said she was seeking a place to spend the rest of her life when she chose her apartment.

“I wanted to make my own decision. ... The time was right, and I totally believe that we [seniors] know when the time is right to make our choice to move,” Lowe said.

Measuring the impact

The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care is a Maryland-based nonprofit that seeks objective insights into market data for senior housing.

Head of Research and Analytics Lisa McCracken said Tarrant County already has a high demand, and the percentage of 75-year-olds is projected to grow by nearly 30% in the county over the next five years.

The Dallas area also has seen a need for more senior housing. According to the NIC, the Dallas metro ranks fourth in the nation for senior housing investment through the first three quarters of 2025.

Next steps

While the site plan for Watermere on Oak was passed by Roanoke officials in April, the developer and city staff are still working on an agreement about access points for emergency personnel.

Roanoke Fire Chief Chris Addington asked for an access point off Lois Street when the development was approved, per previous reporting. The development currently has three access points.

Addington said that without the fourth access point, the fire department could face complications getting to the facility, and response times might increase. There are currently no finalized access plans, Josef Sprinkle with Integrated Real Estate Group said.

The city of Roanoke also commissioned a study last year to assess the needs of its fire department as the city grows. Economic Development Manager Siale Langi said the study will take new developments like Watermere on Oak into account.

“Fire services are involved in the plan review process to understand the number of buildings, layout of the development, building accessibility and occupancy that could assist in an emergency response,” Langi said.

Looking ahead

Sprinkle said Watermere on Oak is under construction on an uneven piece of land with about 40 feet of a slope.

“That’s one of our specialties;finding places where a normal developer wouldn’t even consider because of the investment that would have to go into it,” he said.

The location is comparable to Watermere’s North Richland Hills location. Craig Hulse, the director of economic development at North Richland Hills, said Watermere’s construction made the area more attractive for other businesses to develop nearby.

“[Watermere] took a very difficult-to-develop site and they made it attractive for stimulating development around it,” Hulse said.

Sprinkle said a detention pond will be constructed to assist with controlling runoffand flooding, and will eventually bring in wildlife like fish and turtles.

“These ponds help reduce the immediate impact of rainfall to prevent flash flooding and damages to properties and infrastructure,” Roanoke Public Works Director Shawn Wilkinson said.

Construction is expected to take two years to complete.