A new developer has emerged to take over the Claiborne Senior Living project that has been in the planning stages for nearly four years.NexCore Group of Denver, Colorado, is the company that’s working to replace Claiborne as developer of a 111-unit senior living community planned for a 12-acre parcel near the intersection of Falls Road and Northern Parkway.NexCore, a privately-owned, diversified healthcare real estate development, investment and management company that’s active in 29 states. It has a senior housing subsidiary called Experience Senior Living that operates upscale communities for seniors around the country.“This will be NexCore Group’s first senior housing development/community in Maryland, with plans for a second one in North Bethesda,” said Hunter MacLeod, executive vice president of real estate development for NexCore, in an email message. “We are excited to expand our presence in Maryland and the greater Metro D.C. area.”NexCore and ESL intend to start construction on the project in the first quarter of 2025, open a sales center in the summer of 2025 and open the project in the first quarter of 2027. Instead of The Claiborne at Roland Park, the community will be called The Gallery at Roland Park – An Experience Senior Living Community.The wooded site east of The Falls apartment building and a gas station near Falls Road and Northern Parkway. Photo by Ed Gunts.The building’s exterior design will not change from the plans Claiborne developed – a three-story structure occupying six acres of the 12-acre parcel located on a wooded hillside just east of The Falls at Roland Park, a 10-story apartment building at 1190 West Northern Parkway. The interior design will be modified to provide slightly larger units and finishes that reflect “the classic design and architecture of the Roland Park area.” The project is expected to create 110 to 120 full- and part-time jobs, plus hundreds of temporary construction jobs.NexCore is the third developer to pursue the site in four years, after Claiborne and the current property owner, Blue Ocean. Blue Ocean sought buyers after a larger project that it proposed for the site, a 148-unit, $40 million apartment building called The Overlook at Roland Park, drew opposition from surrounding community groups. Claiborne, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, negotiated a contract to purchase the land from Blue Ocean in early 2021, contingent on its ability to obtain the city approvals and permits it needed to move ahead with its project.Claiborne’s downsized plans received approval from the city’s zoning board in 2022 but construction has been held up by court appeals. The last court case ended earlier this year when the Supreme Court of Maryland declined to hear an appeal from neighboring property owners Hunter and Margaret Cochrane. The Supreme Court’s decision meant that the zoning board’s decision stands and building permits can be issued, with no possibility of additional appeals.According to MacLeod, his company has been negotiating to take over Claiborne’s role as the developer for the past six months, when the two parties were first introduced. He said in an email message that NexCore is aiming to complete its acquisition of the site by the end of the year and that Claiborne won’t be involved in the development after that. MacLeod did not disclose terms of the transaction and he declined to say what NexCore’s project will cost to build. Representatives for Claiborne said their project represented a $25 million investment.‘Gallery’ is the name for a collection of ESL communities that put a special emphasis on the arts. The Gallery at Roland Park will be ESL’s ninth Gallery community, along with others in Spokane, Washington; Fort Collins and Broomfield, Colorado; and South Tampa, Naples, Cape Coral, Port Orange, and North Port, Florida.Arrive Architecture Group from Dallas, Texas, was the architect for The Claiborne at Roland Park and is also the architect for The Gallery at Roland Park. Senior by Design from Dallas is the interior designer. Howard Shockey & Sons Inc. of Winchester, Virginia, is the general contractor.String of appealsIn October of 2022, Baltimore’s Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals (BMZA) approved Claiborne’s plans for a three-story structure that will occupy half of the 12-acre parcel owned by Blue Ocean. Six acres within the parcel are zoned R-1A, for low density development, and the other six acres are zoned R-6, a category that permits residential construction up to 35 feet high.Resident Hunter Cochrane at the August 2022 hearing. Photo by Ed Gunts.Zoning board approval was required because assisted living is considered a conditional use for land that’s zoned R-6, where the senior living project would be constructed. Besides approving Claiborne’s application to build assisted-living units as a conditional use, the zoning commissioners granted a height variance permitting Claiborne to build a structure slightly taller than the 35-foot height limit otherwise allowed in an R-6 zone.The zoning board’s decision was initially appealed in the Circuit Court of Baltimore City by the Cochranes. Their attorney, J. Carroll Holzer, argued that the board’s ruling was flawed and should not stand, but Circuit Court Judge Gregory Sampson held a hearing in June of 2023 and upheld the zoning board’s decision.The Cochranes then filed an appeal with the Appellate Court, where three judges held a hearing in March of 2024 and issued a ruling in favor of Claiborne in May of 2024. The Cochranes appealed that court’s decision to the state’s Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case.Same exterior design    MacLeod said NexCore will follow Claiborne’s designs as far as the building’s height and footprint. He said his company also has agreed to abide by certain covenants that have been drafted to protect owners of surrounding properties – legal restrictions that will run with the land and will be binding on any successors. They range from banning loud parties on the roof to promising that the second half of the parcel, the wooded area zoned R-1A, will essentially remain undeveloped in perpetuity. He said 4.247 of the 12 acres will be dedicated to forest conservation.Like Claiborne, NexCore and ESL plan to offer a mix of independent and assisted-living apartments for rent. Twenty-nine apartments in NexCore’s project will be memory care units.  According to Assistant City Solicitor Adam Levine, who represented the City of Baltimore and its zoning board in all of the court appeals, the legal challenges ended when the state’s highest court, the Supreme Court, declined to hear an appeal from the Cochranes. He explained that the Supreme Court’s decision meant the ruling from the lower Appellate Court of Maryland stands, and that court had affirmed the actions of the city’s zoning board.Levine said the waivers granted by the zoning board were not specific to one applicant and therefore may be transferred to another developer as long as the project stays the same. He said if the project changes substantially in use or design, such as its height or lot coverage, it could be considered a new project, in which case a different developer would have to submit a new application. MacLeod reiterated that NexCore’s design is similar to what Claiborne proposed, with interior modifications.More details about the projectFollowing is a series of questions and answers that provide information about The Gallery at Roland Park and how NexCore Group and ESL became involved. MacLeod provided the answers in response to questions from Baltimore Fishbowl.Q: What is the relationship between Claiborne Senior Living, NexCore Group and Experience Senior Living?A: NexCore Group, a privately-owned diversified healthcare real estate development, investment, and management company with a national footprint spanning 29 states, and its vertically-integrated senior housing operator, Experience Senior Living (ESL), will be the new developer and operator of The Gallery at Roland Park.The relationship between Claiborne and NexCore is transactional in nature. NexCore is replacing Claiborne as the owner, developer, and operator of the community. Claiborne did a great job with the site plan and approvals and NexCore will take over to finish the development. Roland Park is a market we identified and have been watching since entering the metro DC market due to being undersupplied [and having] aging existing operating communities and high barriers to entry with little land of size left to develop.Q: Where is Experience Senior Living based? When was it founded? Is it privately owned?A: Experience Senior Living (ESL) is based in Denver, Colorado, along with its parent company, NexCore Group. Both NexCore and ESL are privately owned. NexCore Group was founded in 2004, and Experience Senior Living was founded in 2019.Q: When did NexCore become the developer of the Baltimore project? Will Claiborne remain involved in the development in any way?A: NexCore will become the owner and developer of the project by the end of the year, having been working through the transition for the past six months.  Claiborne will have no future participation in this development once the transition occurs. Q: How long has this change been in the works?A: We have been working on this transition for six months, after Claiborne and NexCore were introduced.Q: Has NexCore acquired the land?A: NexCore and ESL expect to acquire the property by the end of this year.Q: Has the project itself changed in terms of its scope or design or agreements with the surrounding communities? Is it the same project that has been approved by the city of Baltimore and its zoning board, with a mix of independent living units and assisted living units?A: Yes.Q: Will it be the same height?A: Yes.Q: Will it occupy the same amount of land?A: Yes.Q: Will access from Falls Road be the same?A: Yes.Q: Will it be for rent?A: Yes – private pay.Q: Will six of the 12 acres remain essentially undeveloped in perpetuity?A: Yes.Q: How many residences will there be?A: The project will not change from the 111 unit independent/assisted living (82) and memory care (29) community previously approved, including the site plan, density, gross square feet or height. However, there was a desire to upgrade certain aspects of the community to meet our Gallery brand standards. The units were modified to be larger (including 30%+ plus with full kitchens for those prospective residents still wanting greater independence) and upgraded common areas redesigned to have a classic hint of refreshing vibrant colors and textiles.Q: It has been redesigned on the inside?A: This project has been redesigned on the interior of the building to better reflect the classic design and architecture of the Roland Park area, and to benefit the future residents and staff of the community through improved amenities and operational efficiencies. I have provided an exterior rendering which many have seen already.  We will be releasing additional renderings after the first of the year. [Editor’s note: The exterior rendering mentioned here can be viewed at the top of this article.]Q: What is the Gallery brand?A: The Gallery at Roland Park is part of our Gallery collection of senior living communities. Our Gallery brand was designed with a focus on the arts and includes art installations and performances from local artists. The Gallery at Roland Park will be Experience Senior Living’s ninth community in our Gallery portfolio. Each Gallery community offers Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care apartment homes (in this case all fully licensed) with intentionally designed spaces for residents to gather with friends, try new things, and enjoy experiences they create together.Q: What will the rents be?A: Market rents will be set closer to completion of the project. They will be in line with market. Priority reservations will start immediately including deposits to lock in introductory pricing and apartment selection.Q: What is the timetable for completion? When could the first residents move in?A: The project will break ground in January 2025, which will allow for first residents in Q1 of 2027 after completion of the community and state licensure is achieved.Q: Have all of the legal appeals been resolved?A: All legal appeals have been finally resolved, including the final legal challenge to the BMZA’s decision to approve the Conditional Use Permit; the Maryland Supreme Court denied the appellant’s petition for writ of certiorari.Q: Will NexCore honor all of the agreements with the surrounding communities that Claiborne made?A: Yes, the terms of the [agreement with the neighbors] will remain.Q: Does NexCore have all of the regulatory approvals it needs to move ahead, from the Maryland Department of Aging and other agencies?A: NexCore is working with our consultants to complete the city’s administrative process for issuance of the permits and approvals required to commence construction.  NexCore has received approval from the state to start construction and will continue to follow the state’s licensure process both during and post construction.Q: How many jobs will be created?A: Between full and part time employees, this community should create 110 to 120 jobs post construction. Plus, the jobs during construction.Q: Does NexCore have additional plans for the Baltimore-Washington area?A: This will be NexCore Group’s first senior housing development/community in Maryland, with plans for a second in North Bethesda, The Reserve at Strathmore Square, slated to break ground in the second quarter of 2025. In addition, NexCore has developed and is operating the Sancerre Atlee Station in Richmond, Virginia, and just started construction on The Reserve at Falls Church in Falls Church, Virginia.  We are excited to expand our presence in Maryland and the greater Metro D. C. area.