Enso Village Healdsburg, California

Enso Village is a prime example of a senior living community that doesn’t fit a template. The community is a first-of-its-kind, Zen-inspired senior living community. The vision for it originated more than 10 years ago, but the key pieces started to come together in 2016.

The first major piece was the ideal partnership of the San Francisco Zen Center and Kendal Corporation, jointly serving as the community’s sponsor. Together their mission is to provide “an authentic, sustainable, awake, engaged community, evolving the practice of senior living in a calm, compassionate, respectful environment, informed by the teachings of wisdom and contemplative care.” Since the very beginning, sustainability has been a key factor of Enso Village, from the design and building materials to the values and mindful approach to community life.

The second critical piece was finding the right development site to carry out the vision. Greenbrier, Kendal, and San Francisco Zen Center identified the perfect setting for the community: a 15-acre campus in the heart of Northern California’s wine country. In 2019, the team successfully secured the necessary seed capital to purchase the property and fund pre-construction activities. This beautiful parcel of land is now home to 221 independent living apartments (of which 20 retired Zen teachers will live and teach as part of the community’s programming), 30 assisted living and 24 memory care suites, and several unique spaces authentic to a Zen-inspired senior living community, such as the single-purpose zendo – a meditation hall that is prominent within the community located in the center of the courtyards. There are also typical amenities that you’d expect at a Wine Country Life Plan Community, like two farm-to-table dining venues, meeting spaces, common areas, fitness/wellness center, and a tearoom and garden.

The unique characteristics of the community drew an unprecedented amount of interest from the market. Prospective residents had transitioned from thousand-dollar depositors to 10% depositors on apartments at a record pace. Greenbrier, Kendal, and San Francisco Zen Center achieved 70% pre-sales – the threshold for permanent financing – in about nine weeks. In June 2021, Enso Village closed approximately $300 million of short-term and long-term bonds to fund the community’s construction.

The long-time dream of a Zen-inspired senior living community is now a reality. The community opened its doors in October 2023 and accepted its first residents in November. The community’s story of inspiration to its residents, staff, guests and family has only just begun.

Learn more about the unique concept of Enso Village.