70-apartment senior living facility under construction in downtown Wausau

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) -The Grant Place, a private 70-apartment senior living facility, is being built at the corner of Grant and First streets in downtown Wausau. The facility is meant to keep people 55 and older in an active and social setting as they downsize to an apartment complex.

Fifty of the building’s 70 units have been reserved.

Location and amenities

The complex is close to walking trails, the YMCA, restaurants and shops. The setup is meant to let seniors continue their day-to-day lives while downsizing.

Jeff Stubbe, manager of Beacon Resources, the company building the facility, said the company researched other senior communities across the country to address the biggest wants and needs of residents. The amenities include gathering areas, a game room, a concierge, building security and underground parking.

“Typically these kinds of facilities are only available in large metropolitan areas. This is very unique for a community our size to have something like this, but obviously the demand has been very good,” Stubbe said.

The building’s seventh floor will have no apartments. It will serve as a gathering space known as the “Residence Club,” with a commercial kitchen for private parties and a game room.

“You get together with your buddies, you know, let’s meet at 4:00 and play a game of cards and have a beer or have a little bourbon or whatever it might be,” Stubbe said.

The building will have security and a concierge to welcome people in.

Rent and unit sizes

The apartments are meant to be upscale. Stubbe said rent per square foot ranges from $3.50 to just under $5 per month.

Prices increase with a unit’s height in the building. Units range from just under 900 square feet to more than 2,000 square feet. That means monthly rent ranges from just under $3,150 to around $10,000.

Stubbe said the building will have an assisted living component. Residents will be able to get on the waiting list first or get in right away.

Construction timeline

Work on the project is underway. Crews are laying the building’s footing before the weather gets colder. The goal is to finish the project in the third quarter of 2028.

Senior living options are limited in the Wausau area, which currently has an aging population. The facility also will help bring new families into the area.

Stubbe said the building will free up homes in the area.

“This will open up some homes. Some people will move up from a starter home to those homes and that’ll make the starter homes available. But we see the economic development benefit to that,” Stubbe said.

Click here to download the WSAW news app or WSAW First Alert weather app.

Click here to submit a news tip or story idea.