"I hear this all of the time: ‘I’m doing this for me,’” shares Ashley Wilson, community manager for Viva Bene Active Adult Apartment Homes in St. Peters. How befitting, given that the name "Viva Bene" translates from Italian to "live well or living the good life."
Ashley says people move into this innovative 55-plus active adult rental community for all types of reasons. "Some want to be closer to family. Others are ready to downsize without sacrificing lifestyle, or to live surrounded by peers rather than younger renters."
Many Viva Bene residents come from traditional independent or assisted living because she says they didn’t realize active adult living was an option. However, she explains, “They discover they didn’t need that level of care, and they don’t want the cost that comes with it.”
For others, the appeal is freedom. “They want to travel, but need a home base. They want to be active, stay social, enjoy life, go to dinner parties and have fun. They've raised their kids, and they're ready to live their own lives. Some are even still working but no longer want to keep up the maintenance required on a house or they’re just ready for something easier," Ashley says.
Mathilda Sorbello, Viva Bene sales consultant, agrees. “People are ready to live life for themselves. That’s why it’s called Active Adult Living.”
Viva Bene blends resort-style amenities with a proactive, wellness-focused lifestyle. The community offers one- and two-bedroom apartments in a 161-unit, 200,000 square-foot campus at mid-market rental rates. Owned by real estate development, construction and investment firm, Avenue, and managed by Greystar, a global leader in rental housing, Viva Bene is credited as the first pioneering senior living community in the nation to intentionally combine attainable pricing with wellness amenities and preventative healthcare services. The community is currently 70% occupied.
Mathilda says co-founder, Laurie Schultz, designed Viva Bene with an aging-in-place philosophy that she wanted for her own parents. "We take her holistic approach and incorporate it with residents’ everyday lives.”
Avenue Development representatives launched this active adult company during March 2022 to focus on integrating preventive health services with senior housing. Viva Bene St. Peters broke ground in early 2023, and a grand opening was celebrated on April 16, 2025.
Viva Bene residents enjoy weekly programs, social gatherings and wellness-focused experiences that foster connection and belonging. On-site preventive care and wellness through Sevi Health, offers personalized, relationship-based primary care designed to simplify health care and support overall well-being.
Viva Bene also piloted Groove Health, an innovative wellness program featuring AI-enabled strength and mobility sessions residents can complete in their own homes.
While wellness is central, the team at Viva Bene states that fun is essential. From pool time and game nights to line dancing, music happy hours and social clubs such as the Juliet Club (Just Us Ladies Eating Together), and Romeo Club (Retired Old Men Eating Out), the community offers plenty of ways for residents to stay engaged.
“Our sense of community is why people choose to live here. It’s the number one reason our residents call Viva Bene home,” Ashley says.
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