Touchmark Breaks Ground on 244-Home Retirement Campus in South Anchorage

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Work is starting on a large new senior housing campus in South Anchorage. Oregon-based developer Touchmark broke ground on Sept. 30 on Touchmark at Hillside, a 14-acre retirement campus at O'Malley Road and Lake Otis Parkway with 244 residences.

The project is using the city's multifamily property tax incentive, a tax break Mayor Suzanne LaFrance proposed and the Anchorage Assembly approved in 2025 to make larger housing projects pencil out. It is part of her administration's 10,000 Homes in Ten Years strategy.

The campus is expected to be complete in 2029 and to employ about 100 people year-round.

What's being built

Touchmark at Hillside will offer independent living, assisted living and memory care on one campus, so residents can stay in the same community as their needs change.

Planned amenities include several dining venues, a fitness center, a yoga and aerobics studio, a theater, an arts and crafts studio, a library, a game room, a salon, walking paths, water features, a fenced dog park, a fire pit and secure underground parking, according to Alaska Business magazine.

The site is near Ruth Arcand Park, the Abbott Loop town center and recreation facilities at O'Malley Road and the Old Seward Highway.

Who's building it

Neither the city nor Touchmark named a general contractor in the groundbreaking announcements. Alaska Business reported that Touchmark Development & Construction is leading the project. The project team also includes Anchorage builder Watterson Construction, LRS Architects, BBFM Engineers, Bettisworth North, DOWL and T3 Alaska. The roles of each firm were not specified.

Touchmark is based in Oregon and develops and operates senior living communities, with 16 projects in 11 other states and Alberta, Canada.

The tax break behind it

Anchorage's multifamily property tax incentive was one of three pro-housing measures the Assembly passed in April 2025, under ordinance AO 2025-35(S-1). The city says the break is meant to lower costs and make larger residential projects financially workable at a time of high construction costs.

The city did not release the value or length of the tax break for Touchmark at Hillside, or the project's total cost.

LaFrance said quality housing at every stage of life is key to a strong community and economy, and that high construction costs have left families and seniors with fewer choices. She said the incentive lowers financial barriers so partners like Touchmark can build and seniors can age in place in Anchorage.

Touchmark President Jay Leo said older Alaskans should have more choices about where and how they live as their needs change, and that the campus will let them keep leading active, connected lives close to their community.

The 10,000 Homes plan

The LaFrance administration's 10,000 Homes in Ten Years strategy aims to make housing more affordable and easier to build. It focuses on clearing regulatory hurdles, streamlining permitting, cleaning up neglected properties and using city tools such as tax incentives. The city says permitting has picked up and now exceeds recent years' totals, though it did not release specific figures in the announcement.

At the groundbreaking, LaFrance said she believes Anchorage can be a place where quality homes are found in abundance.

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