St. Andrews Resources for Seniors Systems

By KERRY SMITH, EDITOR, ST. LOUIS CONSTRUCTION NEWS AND REVIEW MAGAZINE

Project owner St. Andrews Resources for Seniors Systems has engaged architect Lawrence Group, general contractor Bingman Construction and owner’s rep Hercules Construction Management on the planning, design and construction of a 96-unit 60+ living community in Eureka.

The development known as Summerville at Francis Place broke ground in December 2020 and is expected to be completed in June 2022 with a phased move-in beginning next month.

The more than $20 million construction project includes 24 four-plex patio homes and a 6,000-square-foot clubhouse. The location is just north of Interstate 44 and west of Missouri Route 109 off Forby Road.

Bingman Construction Senior Project Manager Justin Bingman said one of the steepest challenges of the job thus far came in January, when crews had to break through an extensive amount of rock to prepare for foundational work early on.

Hercules Construction Management Vice President John Benoist said Geotechnology Inc. was brought in to perform geotechnical work in assessing the large rock shelf and other related conditions prior to the project’s official start.

Susan Bruker, principal and architect at Lawrence Group, said the project’s owner, St. Andrews, had seen a patio home living community in Portland, Oregon that was built into a hillside; that was the inspiration for Summerville at Francis Place. The Lawrence Group and Hercules met with the architect who designed the Portland project to gain information on how to make the Eureka project happen.

Each fourplex, according to Bruker, consists of two units that open onto higher grade and two units that open on lower grade.

“In between the steps, Summerville features beautiful pocket neighborhoods,” she said.

Each fourplex features a typical floorplan totaling 1,000 square feet with one bedroom, a den, full kitchen and two bathrooms.

Crews have completed the siding on two of the buildings and are finishing the third building this week, Bingman said.