New assisted-living center opening in Upper Valley

A brand new assisted living facility in the Upper Valley is preparing to open its doors.

About 400 people showed up to a recent open house for The Village at White River Junction. The 80-room facility is accepting tenants for both assisted living and memory care rooms. Developers say it's the shared space, which includes a movie theater, that sets this facility apart. Rent starts at $8,500 a month. Officials say the rooms are going fast.

"The entire nation is facing a senior housing crisis at all levels, from the most basic to the most extreme and we are right on the edge of the first baby boomers hitting the senior market. So there is massive demand, specifically Vermont as a whole because we are one of the oldest populations in the state," developer Brooke Ciardelli said.

The $27 million facility had hoped to begin housing residents this fall, however, it is still waiting on its certificate of occupancy. Now, officials say tenants will begin moving in just after the first of the year.