PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Ten architectural design firms are developing a retirement community in neighboring Rancho Mirage, Calif., that will be focused on creating stylish, high design buildings geared towards gay retirees.
The $250 million master-planned community will be situated in the deserts near Palm Springs, is called BOOM!, and is conceived as a multi-generational, pedestrian-oriented project for the aging gay community.
More artist-rendering images here.
Even though the development will be open to all, developers are counting on the LGBT community to drive BOOM’s culture.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
“The LGBT community has a very entrepreneurial role in society, they choose to be very innovative with how they live their lives,” said architect Matthias Hollwich of Hollwich Kushner, the principal architect on the project.
Hollwich said he hopes to see everything from mentoring programs to art studios to small businesses initiated by the residents in a way that can serve the greater community but also acknowledges the “vibrancy and diversity” the LGBT community is known for.
There’s no other place like this, he says. “In the gay community, many people go back into the closet after they go into assisted living facilities.”
The 100+ acre site will encompass eight neighborhoods, each designed by a different architect, an entertainment complex, boutique hotels, and a wellness center. There will be approximately 300 residences of homes are open to all retirees, not just members of the LGBT community.
Although developers have not yet started in on the approvals process with the city, publicity materials say the project will break ground in late 2012 and finish up in late 2014.
