Roland Park Place (RPP) is expanding to add a new senior living site at historic Villa Assumpta on North Charles Street near Towson. This is the first offsite community for Roland Park Place, which opened its doors in 1984 and is Baltimore City’s first and only accredited Continuing Care R etirement Community (CCRC). For decades, Villa Assumpta was home to the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), an international congregation of religious women dedicated to education, faith, and service. RPP intends to continue that legacy of caring for people, building connections by transforming the site into a community for older adults with space to age with dignity. “As more older adults seek to remain connected in this area, this new campus will allow us to welcome them with the same commitment to community that has defined RPP for more than 40 years,” said Sam Guedouar, president and CEO of RPP, in a statement. “As the region’s population ages, demand for full-service senior living options continues to rise.” Roland Park Place has earned top grades in U.S. News and World Report’s rankings of senior living communities. In 2025, the CCRC earned “Best” status in Independent Living, Memory Care, and Continuing Care Retirement Community categories. This means RPP achieved the highest rating possible for those categories. “We are very grateful the Holy Spirit has brought Roland Park Place to work beside us,” said Sister Nancy Gilchriest, SNND Provincial Leader of the Atlantic-Midwest Province, in a statement. “Roland Park Place’s thoughtful vision ensures that the legacy of the School Sisters of Notre Dame lives on in new ways at our Charles Street property. Both RPP and SSND look forward to further engaging with the community and the County to make this transition possible.” Transforming the Villa Assumpta site helps RPP grow without changing its original campus footprint. It repurposes an existing space in keeping with community values and RPP’s core values of passion, integrity, and caring, and a sense of belonging; and with long-term care trends prioritizing diversity, independence, individuality, and safety. The Villa Assumpta campus is located on a nine-acre property at the corner of Charles Street and Bellona Avenue. The new RPP community will have independent living apartments and additional services and amenities which will be determined during the planning process. The timeline involves expected construction beginning in fall 2028 and residents moving in around fall 2030. “Roland Park Place has always been more than a place to live — it’s a true community built on connection, engagement, and a strong sense of belonging,” said Neb Sertsu, immediate past chair of the RPP board of directors, in a statement. “By expanding, we have the opportunity to bring that same spirit to a new setting while honoring the legacy of Villa Assumpta as a place long dedicated to service, education, and community. This proposed community ensures that the values that have defined RPP for more than 40 years will continue to flourish in a new chapter.” SSND purchased Villa Assumpta in 1937 to house their novitiate program, where young women trained to become sisters. Its most recent function is as a retirement home for the sisters of SSND Atlantic-Midwest Province, who founded Notre Dame Preparatory School, the Institute of Notre Dame, and the University of Notre Dame of Maryland in Baltimore. ...read more read less