Meadowlark hosted a ground-breaking event Wednesday, March 16, for a new 24-unit independent living apartment building located on the main campus. The new building, The Monarch, will be located on the southeast corner of Meadowlark Road and Meadowlark Circle.  

Attendees at the ground-breaking included future Monarch residents, project representatives, Meadowlark team members, and board members. Nearly 80 percent of the Monarch’s apartments have been reserved with down payments. The sales process for the new building began in 2019 and the project was put on hold after the pandemic began in 2020.

In a recent Community Needs Assessment, it was determined that Manhattan needed and could support more age-and income-appropriate housing. People who are considering a move to Meadowlark have indicated they enjoy the lifestyle that living on campus has to offer and would like to see a modern living option with high ceilings, lots of natural light, underbuilding parking, and is pet friendly. This knowledge prompted the plan to build The Monarch, which will be centrally located on the campus. The building will be divided into two towers connected by a common space at the main level.

“What people are looking for in retirement has and will continue to change,” said Lonnie Baker, CEO. “Even through the COVID-19 pandemic, our teams continued conversations about Meadowlark’s evolution to ensure the organization upholds its mission to meet the community needs and be a resource for the region.”

For nearly a decade, Meadowlark has been on a campus expansion journey focused on wellness, in addition to enhancing lifestyle options and amenities. On Meadowlark’s campus there is a nature area at Bayer Pond and a trail system spanning the organization’s 55 acres. Within the outdoor nature area, residents and families can enjoy a fishing pond, two pond-side gazebos, a birding glen, wildflowers, and a variety of terrains throughout the trail system, which also features three beautiful bridges.

In July 2019, the courtyard, which is centrally located in the main building, was renovated and is now home to a fire pit, putting green, walking path, covered seating, outdoor dining options, a bar and grill, and a bocce court.

In August 2020, Meadowlark’s restaurant and pub expansion and kitchen renovation was completed. This project began before the COVID-19 pandemic broke and because of its completion date falling in the middle of heightened precautions, the restaurant opened for in-person dining for the first time on Feb. 8, 2021. Prairie Star Restaurant has expanded pub and dining space and added event space.

A new medical office building was completed in December 2021 on Meadowlark’s land located off Tuttle Creek Boulevard next to the Blue Hills Shopping Center. CenterPointe Physicians, PA leases the 7,000 square foot clinic, continuing their community focus of primary care for all ages.

Meadowlark is a not-for-profit retirement community founded in 1980 by a group of local citizens and six Manhattan churches who wanted a better living option for older adults in the area. Today, Meadowlark continues to meet the needs of the community through living accommodations, post-acute care, home health care, outreach programs focused on memory support and Parkinson’s disease, and providing a supportive work environment for team members.