Choosing an adult lifestyle community

By Kim Kuhteubl

It's harder to imagine what life will be like in our golden years. In the past 15 years alone, the incomes of 65-year-olds have risen faster than their younger counterparts and by the year 2041, 65-year-olds will make up over 23 per cent of the population. Today's seniors are social, on-the-go, and living in an increasingly popular kind of community, adult lifestyle communities.

Adult living or lifestyle communities are simply that, communities where only adults live. "There has definitely been an increase in demand," says Wendy Drielsma, community manager at Wilmot Creek, a community of over 1400 people located in Bowmanville for 21 years. "Our average age is 66. We have someone who is in their early 40s and the oldest is 90. The younger people are moving here because they don't want to be in a subdivision with children running around."

Wilmot Creek boasts a 20,000 square foot recreation centre with over 67 different interest groups, a golf course, and tennis courts. The residents organize anything from bingo, pot lucks, and aquafit to wine tasting, carving groups, or bus trips. It's adult only living with two adults per household and geared to self-sufficient seniors, not those with special medical needs. Friends, relatives, and grandchildren are welcome to visit for up to 60 days, longer under special circumstances. Under supervision, they can also use the facilities.

"It's something I never dreamed of doing actually," says 78-year-old Bud Ellis, a member of Pine Meadows community, 65 acres overlooking Lake Bellwood, east of Fergus. A former North York Hydro employee, Ellis chairs Pine Meadows' maintenance and cost control committee. "The property we owned was getting a little too much to manage and we thought that maybe we should be looking for a different lifestyle.With all the care, this is it."

Like many adult lifestyle developments, Pine Meadows was built in consultation with the municipality and approved on the basis that housing would be two-person dwellings. Built in 2000, the community encompasses 195 two-bedroom bungalows, each with a full basement, garage, and grounds. Homes were initially offered at $175,000 which is average for many developments. Resales are currently on the market for just under $200,000. Buyers purchase their homes outright, lease the land on which the home sits, and like condominium owners, pay a maintenance fee for services.

According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the 'leasehold' set-up is more common than 15 or 20 years ago. Previously, leaseholds were on immobile parks, but more often now include one-and two-floor units. Although many seniors buy their homes outright, leasehold property is insurable provided there are no restrictive clauses or covenants that impact the lender's ability to market the property in the event of default. There is no distinction between adult lifestyle and other property and leases are examined on a case by case basis.

At Pine Meadows the $320 land lease fee covers the cost of providing services the municipality would normally provide like sewage, water, and road maintenance. The fee also includes property tax. The $275 maintenance fee pays for snow removal on all roads, on homeowners' driveways, and on the walkways leading to each front door, in addition to the cost of landscaping common grounds during the summer. The fee also gives each owner a full access membership to the 10,000 square foot recreation centre that has a pool, whirlpool, saunas, games room, and even a workshop.

"You have to be a social person to be here," says Wilmot Creek's Drieslma, "but everything is here for you. It's a playground for adults."