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The American population is aging.
According to a report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing studies, the number of Americans over 50 is expected to reach 132 million by 2030, an increase of more than 70 percent since 2000. Among that group, the fastest-growing subset is those between the ages of 65 and 74. According to the Harvard report, that group will nearly double in size from 21.7 million in 2010 to 38.6 million in 2030.
It is abundantly clear there will be a need for housing designed to meet this graying population — people who are not statistics but rather our friends, family and neighbors.
It is difficult to fathom, then, the strident, shortsighted opposition to plans for a senior assisted living center in Marblehead.
A group of developers hope to build “The Mariner,” a three-story, 87-unit assisted living facility on Pleasant Street, across the street from the Marblehead Inn. The facility would be home to 108 residents.
