The Winchester Street senior living community Opus Newton is fully occupied one year after opening, with 300 people on a waitlist and its developer searching for land to build a second location in Greater Boston.

2Life Communities celebrated the 172-unit building's first anniversary with a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, Aug. 25, drawing Mayor Marc Laredo, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, State Sen. Cynthia Creem and state representatives to the six-story community designed for what 2Life calls the "forgotten middle" — older adults who earn too much for subsidized housing but can't afford traditional continuing care retirement communities.

"The success of this community and the high demand for this community just underscores how important Opus and the Opus model are to older adults in this area," said Lizbeth Heyer, 2Life's president and incoming CEO, at the event. "Seventy percent of them don't have enough to afford the high-end stuff that's out there on the market."

Heyer, an Auburndale resident and former chair of the Newton Housing Partnership, will succeed outgoing CEO Amy Schectman in October.

A waitlist 300 deep

Opus Newton sold out before construction finished, according to Forbes. Entry fees average about $800,000, with 80% refundable when a resident dies or moves, and monthly rents range from $2,000 to $4,500 depending on unit size. By comparison, Boston-area continuing care communities typically charge entry fees above $1 million and monthly rents averaging $8,000.

The project operates without direct public housing subsidies. MassDevelopment provided $129 million in tax-exempt bond financing that lowered the cost of capital, according to Fig City News, but all other financing is private.

Residents commit to at least 10 hours of volunteer work per month. Toby Dondis, who moved to Opus with her husband Barry after downsizing from their Newton home, volunteers at the front desk, helps set up the resident library and works with Newton's Welcome Home to provide household items to families in need.

Second location within five years

2Life is actively searching for land for a second Opus community in Greater Boston. Heyer said the organization wants a site locked down within 12 months and aims to finish construction in roughly five years. The next community would need a minimum of about 175 apartments on approximately five acres.

"The bottom line is the cost to build has to equal what the Greater Boston middle market can afford to pay to live here, because there aren't public subsidies," Heyer said.

Auchincloss called Opus "a national model born here in Newton" and noted that many residents moved in after selling single-family homes, potentially returning those properties to the market for younger families.

2Life Communities already operates several other senior housing developments in Newton, including Coleman House, Golda Meir House and the Golda Meir Expansion. Heyer said the organization wants the second Opus site secured by approximately August 2027.