Is retirement-building mart nearing saturation?(Special Report: Real Estate Quarterly)

The retirement business has been a good one for many developers and property managers with operations in the Puget Sound area. Thanks to the demographics of an aging population and a thriving economy, it could continue to be a good one for years to come.

As an added boon, the strong area economy draws skilled workers with dollars to spend, who in turn encourage their aging parents to move here. This migration swells the numbers of potential clients for the retirement and assisted-living housing market even higher.

But some developers surveyed think that parts of the retirement market are close enough to the saturation point that any new developments or acquisitions warrant a good hard look.

Chuck Lytle, president and co-owner of Leisure Care Inc., a company that specializes in retirement communities with an assisted living …