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A new Palm Springs senior living community that will cater to the LGBTQ community is aiming to create an inclusive, resort-style environment where residents wont have to carry the burden of hiding their true selves.

Living Out is the vision of Los Angeles-based developersLoren S. OstrowandPaul Alanis of KOAR International, who have a history of hotel and casino projects. They're joined by LuAnn Boylan, who with Ostrow sits on the board of directors of the LA LGBT Center and will head up sales and marketing efforts.

Construction will begin in January with the aim of a summer 2021 opening. The project sits on about 9 acres along East Tahquitz Canyon Way between South Avenida Caballeros and South Hermosa Drive, and will include 105 condos with either one or two bedrooms.

While there are plenty of retirement communities in the Palm Springs area, LGBTQ seniors nationwide can face discrimination that makes applying for and securing safe housing difficult and there arent federal housing protections based on sexual identity and gender identity.

"We hear stories all the time about people who get ostracized from the communities they're in," Boylan said. "They find themselves having to hide pictures in their own homes, so that somebody doesn't walk in and see that they'rein a same-sex relationship."

LGBTQ seniorsmight also lack family or social support torely on as they age; the AARP found in a2018 survey that 76% of LGBTQ adults age 45 and older worry about having a solid support system to fall back on.

While many strides have been made toward equality, Boylan said there can be a generational gap of straight people who are less tolerant or informed.That can cause LGBTQ seniors living in retirement communities to hide their true selves, decades after they were the first generation to come out.

"If I'm in a typical resort community and my partner and I are at the pool, we're going to have to think twice about whether we could hold hands, whether we could talk about our lives openly, because other people are sitting around us, Boylan said. If it's our community and our pool, that whole restriction disappears. So now you're just free to be who you are."

Living Out will have two pools, including a resort-style swimming pool surrounded by cabanas plus a lap pool for fitness usage.(Photo: Living Out)

Ostrow, who has a home in Palm Springs, said while this area is particularly welcoming to LGBTQ people, the 55+ population still may struggle to find community.

It's that sense of isolation as you get older, even if you're in a great accepting community, you're still kind of like stuck in your house, he said.

Renderings show a property that invites spending time outdoors, mid-century-inspired design, plus lush landscaping against mountain views.On-site dining amenities will include casual dining, plusa lounge with a coffee bar, yogurt barand prepared foods.

The community will emphasize outdoor activities,includea resort-style swimming pool, a lap pool and spa, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a putting green, bocce ball courts, pickleball courts, an event lawn, barbecue and entertainment areas, and a dog park.

Other on-site amenities include:

The communityalso will help residents who want assisted living-style services connect with in-home care companies that are vetted forLGBTQ cultural competency.Ostrow said theyve talked to the Desert AIDS Project to connect with trained providers.

Mike Thompson, the CEO of the LGBT Community Center of the Desert, said he thinks Living Out is a welcome addition to Palm Springs and will encourage residents to live authentically.

Its not uncommon for LGBTQ people to have a lived experience of being excluded, especially those who come from more conservative parts of our country, he said.

Living Out will include an on-site dog park plus a commercial space for grooming, supplies, and pet hotel services.(Photo: Living Out)

Condo prices begin at $699,000. For Palm Springs, thats a higher-end property, as September housing figures from the Palm Springs Regional Association of Realtors and the California Desert Association of Realtors say that attached homes go for a median price of $249,000 as of August.

It's not the first development to seek to address the housing issues facing LGBTQ seniors. Palm Springs' Stonewall Gardens is a 24-unit assisted living senior facilitythat has an on-site nurse and staff to assist with medications, dressing, grooming, and personal care.

Palm Springs City Councilmember Lisa Middleton welcomes the addition of more housing forLGBTQ seniors, citing concerns aboutsocial isolation, culturally competent health care, and a lack of affordable housing. And sheexpressed confidence in the backers of Living Out to carry out the project.

This has been, for Loren, a dream to build something like this, and Im so glad that he chose Palm Springs as a place to build it, she said. Everything that I have seen to date causes me to believe this is a very well-financed project, and it is being administered by individuals that are absolutely committed to completion.

Ostrow said the goal of Living Outis to create a community of like-minded people; the inclusion of a piano bar and pet services specifically speak to interests of potential residents.

Despite the prevalence of other retirement communities in the Palm Springs area, Ostrow is bullish about the demand for Living Out; theyve already fielded more than 100 conversations with potential buyers.

Hes also not worried about competition from a similar facility.

There are an estimated 3 million LGBTQ Americans age 50 and older, according to the AARP. That figure is expected to reach 7 million by 2030. And while Ostrow wants to see Living Out expand to other cities where there are LGBT communities, he sees the need outpacing the supply that they could provide.

I'd be delighted because there is so much need in the gay community for safety and security as people get older, Ostrow said. That would be wonderful, to have lots of choices.

Melissa Daniels covers business and real estate in the Coachella Valley. She can be reached at (760)-567-8458 or melissa.daniels@desertsun.com. Follow Melissa on Twitter @melissamdaniels

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A new resort-style retirement community in Palm Springs will cater to LGBTQ seniors - Desert Sun