COEUR d'ALENE - North Idaho developer Cliff Mort has completed a 16-unit assisted living community in Coeur d'Alene, costing more than $1 million for the land, construction and furnishings.

Mort is calling it The Lodge at Fairway Forest, and it's located on roughly two acres of land just south of Kathleen Avenue and west of Ramsey Road. The address of the roughly 10,000-square-foot facility is 3989 N. Player Drive.

Mort said he plans to build another similar facility next door if the current one reaches full occupancy. Ideally, he would like to begin that construction work this fall.

The current facility will employ about a dozen people, including a cook and caretakers. Two employees will live in apartments upstairs at the facility, he said.

He said he liked the location because it's next to an established neighborhood.

"We want it to feel like (residents) just walked into a real nice home," Mort said.

Each one of the units has 200 square feet of floor space, private bathrooms with step-in tubs and what he called California-style closets, with lots of storage space. Each unit has its own temperature controls.

He said the facility will provide for all levels of care, and monthly costs will range from $3,000 to $3,700, which includes all food and laundry.

The Lodge has a large kitchen, dining room and gathering area just inside the front door.

The building's U-shaped structure creates a center courtyard area outside. The facility also has a salon, recreation room and library.

"The whole reason I built this was to provide a higher level of care and a quality building," Mort said.

His general contracting business, Mort Construction Inc., built the facility. It is Mort's concept, but he hired architect Mark Latham to finish the design work.

Mort built and owns The Lodge at Riverside Harbor, 52 N. Cedar St., Post Falls, which opened last fall.

He said that 16-bed facility has been hovering near capacity. He also plans expansion in Post Falls.

"We're still ramping up," he said.

The grand opening for The Lodge at Fairway Forest was Thursday.

More information and tours: (208) 457-3403.