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FEATURE
<br />/ ' � � , �r i � � ' „
<br />�':Y.'' •����.
<br />�:ousing developments taxget-
<br />e� for the age-55-and-over slice
<br />of the demographic pie are going
<br />upscale. How will your comxnunity
<br />respond to the new o�portunities anci
<br />challenges these projects bring to the
<br />planning process?
<br />THE NEW UPSCALE SENIORS
<br />In the late 1940s, America was feeling
<br />good. The soldiers and sailors had
<br />returned from war, and were finding old
<br />and new sweethearfs. Wartirne industry
<br />was converting to a vast domeseic produc-
<br />tion machine. And without too much fur-
<br />ther ado, the baby boom v��as launched.
<br />The new Boomer generation would grow
<br />up with tetevision, desktop computers,
<br />and rapidly expanding new suburbs. They
<br />°��ould pioneer new inventions, new ways
<br />i daing business, and whole new indus-
<br />_,;:
<br />`' �r�es, with increased career advancement
<br />and higher Ievels of earnings for the great
<br />tnajoti.ty. And now, the oldest mernbers of
<br />this generaeion are reaching a very special
<br />age – 55 years old.
<br />�
<br />�.ry Lwin� f�r Activcrldu/fe
<br />``� x o czr o rr
<br />�1. �
<br />, , ,r�n active adult condo ��qssitchusetts nity
<br />at the c�'os.sroads of
<br />Nearby. ,.
<br />• near che intersecdon of I-495
<br />;md I-95
<br />• abutting theTPC GolfCourse
<br />� ane mile from culxural events
<br />�� g�e Tweeter Center
<br />� two milea from Wheaton
<br />Cdlege
<br />> 45 m�nutes to Boston,
<br />Wi�rcester and Providence
<br />,..yet apa�t.
<br />• comiec[ed to die Great
<br />Woods Conseivation Area
<br />• miles oF�valking u���S
<br />� individua3 viccory gvrdens
<br />by Wayne A. Lemmon
<br />Age 55 has become special in the plan-
<br />ning profession and homebuilding indus-
<br />try. This is a thresholcl age that has been
<br />broadly adopted as defining "acrive adult"
<br />living. Households in this age bracket are
<br />typically not yet oid enough to retire, but
<br />are usua2ly beyond the demands of child-
<br />raising, Housing that is specifically target-
<br />ed to age-55 and older is not expected to
<br />accommodate school-age children, which,
<br />in turn, has important impiicat'rons for
<br />planning gublic facilities and municipal
<br />budgets.
<br />BuC what is particularly different about
<br />this generation is its economic stature.
<br />Overall, the Boomer generation has
<br />amassed an unprecedented tevel of per-
<br />sonal affluence.� In addition to incomes,
<br />assets have aIso been growing. For the last
<br />seven years, the housing market has been
<br />very strong, and in some markets in just
<br />the past four years, home values have
<br />appreciated by a third or more. If an older
<br />household has been in the same house for
<br />a ior►g tizne, they aiso may have lit[le or ao
<br />remaining mortgage debt,
<br />PttYeing these faetors
<br />together, we see an interesting
<br />picture. We have mature per-
<br />sons who are still in genera(Iy
<br />good health and have active
<br />iz£estyles. Their houses often
<br />command a high price on tl�e
<br />mazket, with iittle debt eo pay
<br />o£f. Moreover, with children
<br />no Iong"er at home, tltere are
<br />frequently empty �edrooms.
<br />For many, the upkeep on the
<br />house has also become a
<br />burden or simply a nuisance
<br />wiCh which they no Ionger
<br />andvver want to deal. Will these
<br />G1tgnTBRO�K in Norton...for tl3ose discerrvng actrve a u
<br />who appteciate fine cundominivm desi�ms
<br />��•i$i fsrse-floor moster suices and actached garxges. .
<br />'�[onF�s or[N AuLV tz —4 m r�c�n �aoN[ �3ov,000' ° So6-Z8?-c7oo
<br />nuu:ra�
<br />r•i�on� •riie. Nom�u: i-+�ss �� ��« n�, n«. �aus a��,��>. ��� ThOrndilce Development
<br />����hy on nb�ilt. .{ c.mtmi�mcnl ��.1�^�I��•• c�min�i��iilc.
<br />FRl1\tTHEti()VCIS�.I-iYiVw4:�i:lU.Lelronllc..l7311'fur `t_M�raf_tlmJ:w��+t�.dlwm�hul&ry?:�'�^'�
<br />Y1.9 mrl�v. Aig7�con It.� IH1N (ur 1.� nJ'V„ L.fll, �h+ioii.
<br />� Canon Sa�iny II,nA. 'pn�rrmhjm in R�'O . ..
<br />�—~` a 3r5 ss
<br />households continue to live where they
<br />are, or might they prefer soinething else?
<br />NEW HOUSING FOR ACTFVE ADULTS
<br />Many of the country's homebuilders
<br />are betting on tkte "something else." Until
<br />fairly recently, the only choices available
<br />to most mature households were to stay
<br />in-place; to find an apartment or small
<br />condo soznewhere in their community; or
<br />to move to a retirement cotnmunity, often
<br />zn the "Sunbelt." Long-distance moves
<br />came with some drawbacks, however.
<br />Children and grandchildren would be far
<br />away and might only be seen once a year
<br />instead of once a week. And, in general,
<br />the "retiren�ent communities" attracted a
<br />much older profile, age 70 and up, which
<br />was not really appealing to pre-retirees
<br />aged 60 and under.
<br />This picture has changed dramatically
<br />in recent years. Across the country, what
<br />has been termed "active adult" houszng is
<br />now being offered to empty-nest house-
<br />holds priar to retirement. Homebuildexs
<br />have begun offering a whole new menu of
<br />plans and styles designed to appeal to the
<br />new, upscale mature market. The appeal is
<br />to the pre-retiree or semi-retiree. House
<br />plans and communiry ptans emphasize
<br />active recreation and enter[ainment, but
<br />also feature dens and computer hook-ups.
<br />Master bedroom suztes occupy a major
<br />porTion of the ground f�oor, but upstairs
<br />bedrooms are provided for visiting chil-
<br />dren, grandchildren, and other guests.
<br />And above all, the homes re#lect the style
<br />and higher income of many in the Baby
<br />Boom generation.
<br />In addition to the house, the commu-
<br />nity as a whole is designed to be attractive
<br />1 U.S. Censas Bureau data documents the rapid income growda Cor households headed by per-
<br />sons aged 5� to 64, in part re(]ecting the bah}� boomers now en[eriag that age braclzet. Using
<br />adjusted 2001 dollars, the mean income Eor dtis group has increased from $4i,741 in 1970, to
<br />$47,82�F in 1980, $54,448 in 1990, and $63,952 in 2000. Zhis represents an increase oF 53%
<br />(again, in adjusted dollars) over this 30 year period, and e 17% increase in just the most recent
<br />ten year period. U.S, Censns Bureau, I-listorical Income Tables - Househo2ds. Table H-10.
<br />PLANNING COMM1SS10NER5 JOURNAL / NUIvIBER 51 / SUIv1IvIER 2003
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