Lucy Corr Village is expanding beyond assisted and nursing care.

The "hidden gem," as some people call it, is building a retirement community for independent seniors.

Springdale at Lucy Corr Village is based on a town-center design, with small-town streets, walking paths, porches, cafes and common areas.  The retirement community will be built on about 23 acres next to its existing premises in Chesterfield County .

Although construction has yet to begin on the $35 million project, 22 people have signed up to make reservations next spring. Ground has been cleared for the model unit. The first residents are expected to move in in 2008.

Prospective resident Undra Woods said she and her husband don't want to burden their two sons with making plans for them as they get older. "I realize how important it is for people to plan," said Woods, a geriatric nursing-care manager who once worked at Lucy Corr.

The Woodses can choose an apartment, "garden cottage" duplex or "a traditional cottage" single-f ami ly house. They haven't yet decided, she said.  The project will have 122 units - 52 apartments, 56 duplexes and 14 cottages.

Reservations are $2,500 and fully refundable. Next spring, prospective residents will be asked for a commitment - and a 10 percent deposit on their units. Deposits are not refundable, unless the person's medical state changes.

Monthly fees, which include meal credits, transportation, housekeeping services and interior and exterior maintenance, are expected to range from $1,200 to $2,400.  Entry fees are likely to range from $170,000 to $300,000, said Krista Ratliff, director of marketing for Lucy Corr Village . However, prices have yet to be set.

At Springdale , entry fees are 90 percent portable, meaning residents can receive most of their investment when they leave. The money can be used to pay for nursing or assisted care. Or it can go to their heirs.

At many life-care retirement communities, the value of entry fees dwindle monthly. But residents are not charged extra if they move into nursing or assisted care within the same retirement center.

The Springdale project will nearly double the size of Lucy Corr.  About 200 residents are expected at Springdale . Most will be in their 70s and 80s, Ratliff said. They must be independent when they move in.

"The concept allows people to make a plan for themselves, not wait until a crisis happens and a relative steps in to make decisions," Ratliff said.  "And it allows them to move in without ever having to move from Lucy Corr again should their needs change."

Not just a place to live, Lucy Corr, like other retirement centers, is creating a lifestyle for seniors.  It will have a wellness center, beauty shop, bistro, pub, coffee shop, massage spa, library, computer room, ATMs and meeting rooms.  Residents probably will form travel groups, book and card clubs, and exercise groups, Ratliff said.  "The [health] risks are so much less when people are not alone or isolated and can live in a safe and secure environment."

The architect is SFCS Inc. in Roanoke . W.M. Jordan Co. in Newport News is building the model cottage, which will be ready in the spring.

Lucy Corr Village , a nonprofit, was founded in 1970 as a nursing home. It has 240 health-care beds.  The first Alzheimer's unit in the state opened there in 1987. The first adult day center in Chesterfield opened there in 1988.  "Lucy Corr is known for quality nursing care," Ratliff said.

A licensed Medicare facility, it operates under the Chesterfield County Health Center Commission.

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