Though already at 60% capacity after an earlier soft opening, Waterstone on High Ridge marked its grand opening on May 25 by literally rolling out the red carpet. Ice sculptures were erected and a wide array of fine food was prepared by Waterstone’s kitchen staff.
“It’s one large open house, celebrating the opening of the building,” said Larry Gerber, president and CEO of Epoch Senior Living, which owns the Waterstone Senior Living brand alongside National Development. “It will include our residents, prospective members, and the community of senior care providers and referral sources. There will be a ribbon cutting and some speeches, but it’s really a big party.”
While Gerber noted the event may not be representative of a typical day at the facility, which also contains an assisted living wing and a Bridges Memory Care facility, he emphasized it nonetheless highlighted a key focus on all Epoch properties.
“As beautiful as the building is, as great as the food is, as full as the activities and no matter how much there is to do, for many people the biggest benefit of living in a community like this, especially for independent living, is getting away from social isolation,” he said. “As people get older, friends and relatives pass away, they’re less likely to drive longer distances or at night, and sometimes they don’t drive at all.
“The world tends to become smaller, and the social isolation is a real problem,” he added. “Here I’ve heard residents say, ‘It’s like I went to summer camp!’ They make all these new friends and get to love the staff. That’s what we are really about. It’s really a reflection of what the quality is and the cuisine, and the sort of elegance of lifestyle.”
That lifestyle was represented at the party with the inclusion of seafood stations, charcutier platters, a pasta bar, carving stations, free-flowing drinks and separate live music performances indoor and out.
Gerber’s background is in real estate and he highlighted that the site was formerly a General Electric campus where one of the buildings was split in half, with the partial demolition of one side making way for Waterstone while the remaining portion was leased as office space to a company that needed far less room than the original occupants.
Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons made a brief appearance at the opening ceremony.
“We are so fortunate to have Waterstone in our city,” Simmons said. “This is really a world-class housing facility and a real asset to our city, a premier luxury destination for seniors in our city.”
Simmons noted that she used to live nearby when it was the former GE campus, and that her three-year-old son loved watching the construction equipment used to produce the beautiful building.
“I think this is really a model for what housing should be for everyone,” Simmons continued, facetiously adding. “We’re so glad you get to live here —I hope I’m lucky enough that my kids will send me here when I’m older.”
