Accessible Apartments

Reaching for an item on a high shelf, attempting to turn around in a tight space and even trying to take a shower without assistance are common challenges many people dependent on mobility devices face in their own homes on a daily basis.

But Kingsley Commons, a Minneapolis apartment complex designed for people with multiple sclerosis, attempts to solve many of these issues with a number of features such as extra-wide doorways, low cabinets and roll-in showers that make it easier for residents to use their equipment and go about their daily lives.

The building, which opened in August, contains 25 one- and two-bedroom apartments with residents ranging in ages from 19 to 65. It is the first building in Minnesota designed specifically for people with MS and the third of its kind in the country.

“What is important about Kingsley Commons is that it allows younger people with MS to imagine an option for themselves beyond life in a nursing home,” says Maureen Reeder, president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The state chapter spent years collaborating on the $2.9-million project with developer CommonBond Communities and the Powderhorn Community Council. Federal, county and city funds also were used to help finance the project.

One of the best features of the complex is that it contains generous maneuvering spaces for those in wheelchairs, scooters and walkers, notes Kent Simon, vice president and principal of Miller Hanson Partners, the firm responsible for designing the project. Extra space was built into the kitchen and bathroom, and clearances at the doors exceed American Disabilities Act code requirements for accessibility, he says.

“We had focus groups with people with MS, and this was one of their main concerns,” says Simon.

Every detail was considered when designing the building, Simon says. For example, windows are operated with a crank because it could be difficult for someone with MS to pull a window up or down. The windowsill heights also are lower so residents in wheelchairs and scooters can have a better view outside.

The complex even features a wheelchair washing station that allows residents to hose off dirt and debris from their wheelchairs before going to their apartments.

Other features in the building include 42-inch-wide doorways; 5-foot-wide hallways that increase to 7 feet at unit entryways; and hard surfaces throughout the complex (no carpet) to make maneuvering easier for residents using mobility devices.

Bathrooms are equipped with a hair-care sink, grab bars next to the toilet and in the shower, a roll-in shower with a fold-down seat and a walk-in whirlpool tub.

Roll-under countertops in the kitchen and bathroom allow easy access. There are front-loading washing machines and dryers in the common laundry room, a 4,500-pound capacity elevator that accommodates up to four wheelchairs and a trash chute with pneumatically operated doors.

Kitchen counters are 2 inches lower than average, and cabinets are no higher than 5 feet above the floor.

Cleaning and meal preparation services are also available to residents, as well as a service to help them get out of bed.

To live at Kingsley Commons, residents must earn 50 percent or less of the area median income and have MS or an MS-related neurological disorder. And because it is an independent community, they also must be able to self-guide their own care needs, says Deb Lande, director of community relations for CommonBond Communities, the nonprofit developer, property manager and service provider for the project.

“We are certain Kingsley Commons can be a national model and will demonstrate how housing can be a catalyst for community change and personal success,” says Paul Fate, CommonBond president and CEO. “The need for affordable and accessible housing for people with disabilities is great.”

Managers got 150 apartment applications, and there currently is a waiting list.

For more information, visit www.commonbond.org/kingsleycommons.