A husband and wife leaning close over coffee and pastries in the Lane Café

Chapter 01 — On Sweetbriar Lane, above Nolan Creek, Belton, TX

Belton, Texas

Every day here has a beginning, a middle and a sweet end.

Cottages and apartments with assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing on thirty acres above Nolan Creek, a mile from the Bell County courthouse square.

Chapter one: welcome

A small-town place for the best parts of the day.

Sweetbriar Lane was built in 1992 by Belton families who wanted their parents to stay close to the courthouse square, the Friday football games and the church they'd been married in. It started with twenty cottages around a rose-covered lane. Today it's cottages, apartments, assisted living, memory care and a skilled nursing center, all within a short walk of each other.

We think of every day here as a small story. It starts with coffee on the patio, wanders through lunch with the grandkids or a class in the studio, and ends with dinner and, more often than you'd think, somebody's birthday cake. When a resident needs more care, the story doesn't change address.

— Carmen Ybarra-Holt, executive director

A resident laughing over her morning coffee
A couple serving homemade pasta

Our story

Our story so far

A group of Belton families and three churches opened Sweetbriar Lane so their parents could stay close to the square.

Read our story

We believe the days of a long life should still feel like days: coffee with someone you love, a grandchild at the table, a reason to dress up, a cake with candles on it. Care is how we protect those days, not what replaces them.

What sets us apart

Three things families remember

A couple with their morning coffee
01

Dining credits for the Commons dining room and the Lane Café

Breakfast tacos at the café every morning, and King Ranch casserole on Wednesdays.

Included
Coffee and sweets at the café
02

A birthday cake for every resident, every year

Baked by our pastry cook, delivered with the whole hallway singing.

Included
A couple with coffee against the brick wall of the Commons
03

Family dining room for Sunday lunch with the grandkids

Included

Rooms & suites

Homes on the lane

Cottages and apartments for independent living, and private suites for assisted living and memory care.

Charming rustic interior showcasing a cozy bedroom with a view into an open living area.
01

Sweetbriar cottage

Two bedrooms, a front porch on the lane and a garage, with a kitchen big enough for Sunday lunch.

  • Two bedrooms
  • Front porch
  • Attached garage
1,320 sq ft
Bright, minimalist living room with beige sofa and classic armchair under warm natural light.
02

Commons apartment

One-bedroom apartments a hallway from the café, the library and the pool.

  • Full kitchen
  • Washer and dryer
  • Balcony
790 sq ft
A stylishly designed modern bedroom featuring elegant decor and cozy ambiance.
03

Two-bedroom apartment

Corner apartments with creek views and room for a guest bed or a sewing room.

  • Two baths
  • Creek view
  • Covered parking
1,080 sq ft
A spacious contemporary bedroom featuring elegant furnishings and abundant natural light.
04

Rosebud House suite

A private assisted living suite with a kitchenette and a window seat.

  • Kitchenette
  • Walk-in shower
  • Emergency call system
440 sq ft
Bright and spacious contemporary bedroom with elegant decor and minimalist design.
05

Arbor suite

A calm private room in memory care, opening onto the walking garden.

  • Private bath
  • Garden view
  • Memory display case
320 sq ft
  • 1992opened on Sweetbriar Lane
  • 30acres along Nolan Creek
  • 4levels of care, one campus
  • 312birthdays celebrated last year, with cake

Our team

The people in the story

Carmen Ybarra-Holt, Executive Director

Carmen Ybarra-Holt

Executive Director

Tanya Brooks, RN, Director of Nursing

Tanya Brooks, RN

Director of Nursing

Dr. Raymond Okafor, Medical Director

Dr. Raymond Okafor

Medical Director

Lucy Tran, Pastry Cook

Lucy Tran

Pastry Cook

Meet the team

Sample family reviews

Notes from our families

Mom and Dad have coffee on the patio every morning at seven. Same table, same order, thirty years married. The staff have their cups waiting.
Laura M.Daughter of residents
Our grandkids come for Sunday lunch in the family dining room. They think it's a restaurant. I don't correct them.
Bob and Nita R.Residents since 2018
I turned ninety and the whole hallway sang. Lucy made my cake look like my old Chevy.
Walter K.Resident since 2016
When Dad moved to the Arbor, they made a life-story book with us. Every caregiver read it. They knew he was a band director before they ever met him.
Susan P.Daughter of a resident
My rehab after the knee was in the Health Center, and my wife walked over from our cottage every afternoon with a crossword.
Frank D.Resident since 2019
We read the contract three times. They answered every question in writing. That's why we signed.
Ray and Joyce T.Residents since 2021
I'm in the art studio three mornings a week. I hadn't painted since 1970.
Margaret L.Resident since 2020
The nurses call us in Houston after every care meeting. We never feel far away.
Daniel and Amy W.Son and daughter-in-law of a resident
Mama's last weeks were in the Health Center with the chaplain stopping by every day. They brought her coffee on the patio until the very end.
Rosa G.Daughter of a resident

Activities & dining

This month on the lane

A sample month. Residents add their own events every week.

  1. Mon

    • Coffee club on the patio, 7 a.m.
  2. Tue

    • Watercolor class in the art studio
  3. Wed

    • Bus to the square and lunch on Central
  4. Thu

    • Garden club in the greenhouse
  5. Fri

    • Friday night lights: bus to the Belton Tigers game
  6. Sat

    • Grandkids' cookie decorating in the café
  7. Sun

    • Chapel, then Sunday lunch in the family dining room
  8. Every week

    • Birthday cake for whoever's turning a year older

Sunday lunch

  • MainChicken-fried steak with cream gravy
  • SidesMashed potatoes, green beans and buttered corn
  • BreadYeast rolls with honey butter
  • DessertPeach cobbler with Blue Bell vanilla

For families

For families

You're part of the story too.

  1. 01

    One point of contact

    A nurse and a social worker who return calls the same day.

  2. 02

    Care conferences

    In person or by video, around your schedule.

  3. 03

    Family dining room

    Reserve it for Sunday lunch, free.

  4. 04

    Guest suite

    A furnished guest suite for visiting family.

Insurance & payment

Understanding the cost

How life plan communities are paid for, in plain words.

Entrance fee

A one-time payment for a life care contract. Depending on the plan, part may be refundable.

Monthly fee

Covers your home, dining, services and amenities.

Medicare

Covers short-term skilled nursing and rehab after a qualifying hospital stay, not independent or assisted living.

Medicaid

Accepted in our skilled nursing center for those who qualify.

VA benefits

Some veterans and surviving spouses qualify for pension benefits that help with care costs. Ask our social worker.

Ask our business office

Ratings & recognition · sample

  • Sample: Best Senior Living, County Readers' Poll
  • Sample: Not-for-Profit Excellence Award
  • Sample: Top Workplace

Work with us

Good benefits, kind people, and cake.

Visit

Above Nolan Creek

Tour & office hours

  • Tours, Mon – Sat9a – 5p
  • Office, Mon – Fri8a – 5p
  • Families visitAny time

Families are welcome any hour. After 9p, ring the bell at the Commons door.

The coffee's on. Come write a chapter.

Call Carmen or book a tour online.