Fortress Investment Group announced that funds managed by its affiliates acquired The Village at Gainesville, which is one of USA’s largest retirement rental communities, and the country’s largest mixed-acuity retirement rental community.
The Village at Gainesville provides a range of retirement lifestyles across a neighborhood of 45 cottages and nine additional residential buildings: six independent-living, one assisted-living, and two memory-care. And two central amenity buildings offer dining, fitness, on-site healthcare and other services. Recreational activities and cultural events happen across the community’s 100+ acres of natural beauty, which features conservation wetlands and native tall pines and live oaks.
Fortress is buying the community from Sante Fe Healthcare. For over 30 years, Sante Fe Healthcare owned and managed The Village at Gainesville, overseeing three major development phases from 1986 through 2009.
Gainesville is known for its high-quality healthcare systems. And the Village at Gainesville is conveniently located close to Interstate 75, approximately five miles from the University of Florida – which has attained national leadership for its transformative and advanced medical research. Plus, it is 11 miles from Gainesville Regional Airport.
Fortress Investment Group is a highly diversified global investment manager. Originally founded in 1998, Fortress manages $50 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2024, on behalf of approximately 2,000 institutional clients and private investors worldwide across a range of credit and real estate, private equity, and permanent capital investment strategies.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are thrilled to acquire The Village at Gainesville, the premiere retirement community in Gainesville, Florida. The community fits with our investment strategy of acquiring well-run, high-quality senior housing communities, and investing in them to ensure they are positioned to meet the upcoming demand from the baby boomer generation. The Village at Gainesville is unique for its scale and the range of lifestyles and services it offers, and we’re pleased to bring a committed investment plan and our retirement community expertise to the property.”
“Our initial investment plans include a comprehensive renovation of the community’s oldest building, the Lake House, from plumbing to appliances and décor. We’re also planning improvements to the memory care residences, and community-wide upgrades to the on-site amenities and facilities. With 639 residences, The Village at Gainesville is home to a thriving community of Floridians who are supported by a talented and experienced team of more than 300 employees. We’re looking forward to working with these residents and team members, and with the broader Gainesville community, to make this one of the premier retirement communities in the country.”
– Pete Stone, Managing Director at Fortress
“Throughout almost 40 years of operations, The Village at Gainesville has always prioritized a vibrant, supportive community for our residents, and I am confident that this new ownership model will bring tremendous additional benefits. Fortress brings extensive experience and resources in retirement rental communities and with their support we are exceptionally well-positioned to enhance our services and facilities with the goal of ensuring that our residents and community continue to thrive for many decades to come.”
– Rebecca Catalanotto, Executive Director of The Village at Gainesville
