Exciting changes are underway on our campus. As part of our commitment to provide our residents with the best possible amenities and environment, Givens Estates has embarked on a $7.6 million renovation to update and improve the community. The upcoming improvements are part of our ten-year strategic plan.

“Investing in the improvement and enhancement of our campus is an important priority of our Board of Directors and leadership team. We considered what we’d need to remain current and evolve with the expectations of a new generation of residents when we approved and established our ten-year plan,” said John Cowan, Executive Director.

The first phase includes updates to the dining and wellness areas in Oxford Commons that will create more choices for residents. Three separate dining venues are in development.

The first dining space is a “flex bar,” located in the main entrance, followed by a full-service restaurant, and then, a marketplace. The flex bar will bring life to the main entry point of Oxford Commons, giving residents a place to gather casually. The area will multi-task as a coffee shop/breakfast venue in the morning and flip to a wine/tapas/small plate dining venue in the evening. It will also serve as a hospitality space to welcome visitors.

The marketplace will offer a variety of stations featuring made-to-order items with fresh ingredients such as specialty salads, custom sandwiches, and grill items. Residents can also order carry-out items, or select from a bakery with assorted fresh breads and pastries.

The restaurant will offer a more upscale, table-waited service for residents and their guests who prefer a more intimate dining experience. The anticipated grand opening will be late fall 2020.

“We solicited feedback from current and future residents to see what dining services they would most like to see. Our renovations will allow for three distinct venues to give residents more choices and a variety of food experiences,” said Kenneth Jenzen, Dining Services Director.

During the renovation period of our campus dining areas, the Performing Arts Center will serve as a temporary dining area. After the new dining venues are up and running, plans call for a refresh of carpet and paint in the Performing Arts Center, as well as some technological enhancements.

Oxford Commons’ final update will involve improving and expanding the Wellness Center by an additional 1200 square feet for a new exercise studio, enlarged yoga & aerobics studio, and dedicated therapy suite. The new area will offer more challenging activities such as spinning classes and rowing, and will be expanded to accommodate more people.

The therapy space has been designed to provide privacy for individuals receiving physical, occupational, or speech therapy with dedicated treatment rooms and a therapy gym.

In addition to the Oxford Commons renovations, Givens Estates is investing in the community by developing Friendship Park. Our latest expansion will feature two buildings in a serene wooded setting located near a spring-fed stream. Phase I includes the construction of thirty-five apartments followed by forty-five more in Phase II. Site work has already begun with construction planned for February 2020. The first Friendship Park residents will move-in by May 2021 with the second wave of residents moving into the second building the following summer. All apartments are under deposit for the first building, and the Marketing Department is currently accepting priority reservation agreements for residences in the second building.

Before Givens embarked on these renovations, our leadership team underwent a thorough and thoughtful planning process. This process included site visits to other communities in the Carolinas, which had new construction and or renovations so that we could learn from their experiences. Givens also solicited feedback from consumer focus groups with current residents, future residents, and staff to determine which aspects of dining and wellness needed updating based on their expectations. Finally, we held in-depth discussions with industry consultants in dining, architecture, and construction to design the renovations thoughtfully.