Jerry and Cindy Terpsma have moved into their new retirement apartment on the third floor of a recently opened building in Ripon. The couple joined other residents and staff Wednesday to celebrate the opening of 82 new senior apartments at Bethany Home, a nonprofit community for older adults.
The Terraces at Bethany, located at Main Street and Vera Avenue, offers apartments that rent from about $3,000 to $6,500 per month. Residents receive meals, recreational opportunities, and some health services as part of their lease.
“The staff is wonderful,” Jerry Terpsma said. “The food is wonderful. All our needs are taken care of.”
Bethany Home Executive Director Cindy Scheublein reported that 54 apartments are already occupied and six more have been leased since the building opened in September. The complex includes studios as well as one- and two-bedroom units.
“This is the concept of aging in place,” Scheublein said. “You come in as independent living, and then you may need additional services.”
Bethany Home was established in 1963 by local Christian churches and community leaders. While many founders had Dutch heritage, people from all backgrounds are welcome to live there.
The $57 million project is designed for seniors who can mostly live independently. Other parts of Bethany offer assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services.
Bethany now serves more than 400 residents with a staff of 235 across its facilities. Additional programs include daytime activities for non-residents and home visits for seniors in the area.
Amenities at the new building include weekday access to an on-site nurse, dining options ranging from a bistro to a formal restaurant setting, a fitness center, library, arts and crafts room, gardens within common areas, and exterior features reflecting Ripon’s historic architecture.
The design was handled by CallisonRTKL’s San Francisco office while Quiring Homes served as contractor after city council approval in 2022.
Jerry Terpsma previously taught history and government at Ripon Christian High School—the former site now occupied by the new apartments—and Cindy Terpsma is a retired registered nurse. They chose Bethany partly because they no longer wanted to manage home maintenance or high utility bills.
“What drew me to the place was that my yard was getting too big to handle,” Jerry said.
According to housing experts cited in the article, projects like this can help address local housing shortages by freeing up existing homes when seniors move into specialized communities.
Ripon has some of the highest apartment rents in its region—averaging $2,363 per month according to November data from Rentcafe.com—but most do not include meals or services provided by Bethany Home. State law requires cities like Ripon to plan for housing across income levels; Ripon’s goal through 2031 includes adding over 1,400 new homes or rental units for various income brackets.
Nearby Modesto offers lower average rents ($1,720 per month) but faces similar state-mandated targets with plans calling for over 11,000 additional housing units by 2031 (source: https://www.rentcafe.com/average-rent-market-trends/us/ca/modesto/).
