Envision at Messiah Village

Envision at Messiah Village Upper Allen Township, Cumberland County, PA

A Master Plan for Envision at Messiah Village
RGS worked with Messiah Lifeways to develop a long-term master plan to reposition and design ten acres of land in the heart of the 80-acre Messiah Village community and create the new Envision at Messiah Village.

Maximizing Developable Land While Preserving Existing Open Space
Phase One of the Envision at Messiah Village project included the razing of 16 cottages, the redesign of the main entrance, and the construction of Village Square, an independent living apartment building that features a 15,000 sq ft wellness center, pool and enrichment center, and underground parking.

The total expansion created 84 independent living apartments and 26 personal care apartments. The Envision at Messiah Village project also gave the client the opportunity to update its existing building and create more private room options as requested by residents and families. To do so, the main building was expanded to include an additional 32 beds in private rooms.

The RGS team worked with the client to successfully reposition the 10-acre site within the Messiah Village campus by reimagining areas of the existing campus that were already developed with older cottages and parking areas.

Cost-Saving Design Strategies
RGS helped save Messiah Lifeways significant time and financial investment by blending the proposed Village Square building and two building additions into the existing campus. By collaborating with the project team, RGS proposed multiple design strategies resulting in significant cost savings. Examples included:

  • Placed the new skilled care addition over an existing park area
  • Minimized infrastructure reconstruction by locating the personal care wing between the existing parking and drives
  • Redeveloped low-density cottages with the Village Square building.

Using Existing Impervious Cover to Limit New Stormwater Work
RGS designed the site’s parking lot areas to include porous paving with sub-surface storage in place of conventional paving to address stormwater management requirements on the existing campus. This approach to stormwater management made it possible to retain existing greenspace on campus while giving the client more land to create meaningful outdoor spaces like the personal care facility’s terrace and Village Square courtyard.

Sustainable design elements such as rain gardens, porous paving, and a sub-surface detention system were incorporated into a comprehensive stormwater plan. These facilities provide both water quality and infiltration of the stormwater runoff.

Through a thorough master plan and the development of multiple design and stormwater management strategies, the RGS design team successfully repositioned the site for the Messiah Village community.