Households with members age 55 and older have a choice of housing not available to those with young families: an active adult community.
While similar to planned communities with recreational amenities, a mix of housing and perhaps a retail component, active adult communities offer one big difference: They are age-restricted. Children and grandchildren are welcome visitors to these communities, but they are not allowed to become full-time residents.
In addition to the age restriction, active adult communities always include a floor plan with the master suite on the same level as the kitchen and living areas, a design that is easier for older people no matter how active they are.
In some cases, this can be a one-level condominium in a high rise, while other designs are rambler or villa-style homes. Others offer a second level or sometimes a basement level for additional living space, but they still maintain a first-floor master bedroom suite.
Active adult communities vary in price range and amenities just as multi-age planned communities do. A range of these developments can be found in Prince William and Loudoun counties in Northern Virginia, two of the top 10 most affluent counties in the nation, according to U.S. Census Bureau records.
For active adult buyers interested in golf, Comstock Homebuilding Cos. Inc. is building condominiums in three five-story brick buildings at Beacon Park, part of the Belmont Bay planned community in Woodbridge.
Beacon Park, adjacent to Ospreys Golf Club, also has views of the Potomac and Occoquan rivers.
In addition to golf, residents can enjoy walking trails and easy access to fitness, swimming and boating facilities. The condominium buildings each have a controlled-access parking garage, an elevator and a rooftop terrace. The homes have 10-foot ceilings and from one to three bedrooms.
Buyers may choose between a study and a master suite with a loft and a wet bar. Sales have not yet begun on these homes and prices and condominium fees have not been set. The homes are base-priced from $329,900, with the largest home, a three-bedroom, three-bath residence with almost 2,400 square feet, priced from $799,900.
Monthly condominium fees average $300 to $375 and rise to $500 for the largest home.
Call 703/491-2600 or visit www.comstockhomes.com.
Brookfield Homes Corp. is developing both the active adult community of Dunbarton and the surrounding Braemar community between Haymarket and Manassas. The Dunbarton Club overlooking Broad Run has an indoor pool and spa, a fitness center, game and meeting rooms, a business center, and a parlor.
The landscaped grounds of the club provide tennis courts, a putting green, boccie and shuffleboard courts, and hiking and biking trails. Dunbarton also will organize numerous social events, and residents will be members of the Braemar association.
Single-family homes are base-priced from the mid-$300,000s to the mid-$400,000s. They feature two or three bedrooms, two baths, a two-car garage, 9-foot ceilings on the main level, a center-island kitchen, a family room with a fireplace, a separate living and dining area, and a master bath.
Homeowner association fees are $245 per month.
Call 703/393-2896 or visit www.dunbarton.net.
K. Hovnanian Homes’ Four Seasons at Historic Virginia has six decorated models. This 486-acre wooded site, located on Va. Route 234 just west of Interstate 95, will consist of 800 single-family detached homes designed for single-level living, each with two or three bedrooms and a two-car garage.
Recreational amenities include an activities director, a clubhouse with a cyber cafe, lounge, ballroom, fitness center, an indoor lap pool, billiards, arts-and-crafts and game rooms, a library, business rooms, a computer learning center.
Outdoor amenities include tennis courts, a pool and spa, a putting green, boccie courts and walking and biking trails.
Home base prices range from the low $400,000s to the mid-$500,000s for 1,547 to 3,500 square feet, all on one level.
Most of the homes will include a third bedroom that can be used as a den or home office, and many will offer a second-level loft option for flexible living space.
Homeowner association fees are about $250 per month.
K. Hovnanian is offering $75,000 as a buyer incentive, which buyers can use in any way they choose for closing costs, options or to buy down their loan.
Call 703/583-3733 or visit www.khov4seasons.com.
Under development by Lennar Corp. near Gainesville and Haymarket, Heritage Hunt features an 18-hole, par 72 championship golf course designed by Arthur Hills.
The 750-acre development includes wooded areas, streams, lakes and pastures and, when complete, about 2,000 homes, including single-family houses, villas and town homes.
Heritage Hunt includes 24-hour security at the gate, and all homes have low-maintenance, one-level living. A full equity golf course membership is included with each home purchase at Heritage Hunt.
A restaurant and lounge are in the main clubhouse, along with an auditorium, billiard room, a library, a computer lab and arts-and-crafts rooms. A second clubhouse has an indoor aquatic and fitness center.
Outdoors, besides the golf course, residents will be able to enjoy lighted tennis courts, a driving range, an outdoor swimming pool, hiking and biking trails and lawn sports.
Condominiums are available from the upper $200,000s to the mid-$300,000s, with single-family homes in a variety of styles and sizes available from the upper $400,000s to the upper $500,000s.
Homeowner association fees are $235 per month.
Patriot Homes is selling its last phase of single-family homes at Heritage Hunt, priced from the high $400,000s. The Patuxent III model, with 2,954 square feet, has a two-car garage, first-floor master bedroom suite, a sunroom, a loft with a bathroom and a finished lower level with a recreation room, den and bathroom.
The Livingston model at Heritage Hunt has 3,217 square feet, a two-car garage, a two-story foyer with hardwood flooring, a first-floor master suite, a study, powder room, an open great room for living and dining, a sunroom with a two-sided fireplace, a kitchen with breakfast nook and a laundry room.
The second floor has an additional master suite and two additional bedrooms with a connecting bath, a loft and a computer area.
Homeowner association fees are $235 per month.
Call 703/743-1079 for Patriot Homes. For Lennar Homes, call 703/743-3000 or visit www. heritagehunt.com.
Airston Group Inc. is building 45 apartment-style condominiums at Liberty Grove in the city of Manassas. Liberty Grove is near Old Town Manassas; the Chinn Recreational Center, which has an indoor swimming pool, fitness facility and library; and the Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center.
Airston is offering condominiums with elevators from the upper $200,000s. Seven models of condominiums are available, ranging from 1,100 to 2,198 finished square feet, including one and two bedrooms, a study or a family room or both, with optional garage parking available for an additional cost of $10,000.
Condominium association fees are $250 per month.
These homes have a security system, 9-foot ceilings, ceramic tile flooring in the baths, 42-inch cabinets in the kitchen, a master bath, a washer and dryer, a high-tech wiring package and gas heat.
Call 703/330-9180 or visit www.airstonhomes.com.
Toll Bros. Inc. will be building 1,232 condominiums, single-family homes and patio homes at Regency at Dominion Valley, an active adult community adjacent to the 2,400-acre Dominion Valley Country Club, a planned community in the foothills of the Bull Run Mountains near Haymarket.
In addition to an 18-hole golf course designed by Arnold Palmer and Palmer Course Design Co., the community will have a lighted 18-hole putting green, lighted tennis courts, jogging and biking trails, and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
The Regency Club, which recently opened, includes a ballroom, performing arts center, fitness center, a whirlpool tub, a steam room, a library, a business center and dining facilities.
All the patio and single-family homes at Regency will include a two-car garage. Inside, all the models feature a first-floor master suite with extrawide entrances to the master bedroom and master bath, 9- or 10-foot ceilings, hardwood flooring in the foyer, ceramic-tile flooring in all baths, a kitchen with 42-inch cabinets, high-tech wiring, and gas heat and hot water.
Condominium homes in the Greenbrier Collection range in base price from the low to upper $300,000s. Condominium fees are $452 per month. Homes in the Georgetown Collection of patio homes range in base price from the upper $300,000s to the low $400,000s, with homeowner association fees of $335 per month.
The Potomac Collection and Middleburg Collection of single-family homes range in base price from the upper $400,000s to the mid-$500,000s, with homeowner association fees of $227 per month.
Call 703/753-8900 or visit www.regencydominionvalley. com.
In Lansdowne, Leisure World of Virginia has been sited in a wooded glade bordering the Potomac River, adjacent to Loudoun County’s Lansdowne resort and its golf course, where special golf privileges are available for residents.
The community eventually will have about 3,000 residents in condominium buildings arranged in circular patterns to encompass open spaces and recreational amenities.
Clubhouse West, a two-level health, recreation and fitness center surrounded by rose gardens, water gardens and waterfalls, includes an indoor pool area resembling a Roman bath, with faux finishes depicting marble and stone walls, columns, detailed moldings and lush greenery. In addition, the clubhouse has a health spa, aerobics and fitness rooms, classrooms, a ballroom, full-service restaurant, rooftop tennis courts, library, an auditorium/ballroom, an interfaith chapel, a convenience store, a bank and a hair salon.
The development has 24-hour security and a free courtesy shuttle traveling to and from local destinations.
Developer IDI Group is constructing Riverview, the last building on the community’s west side, which offers sweeping views of the Potomac River.
Two- and three-bedroom homes are available with 1036 to 1720 square feet. Base prices range from the low $300,000s to the low $400,000s, with condominium fees of about $400 per month.
Call 703/581-1711 or visit www.idigroup.com.
Six models are now open by Pulte Homes Inc. at Potomac Green, a Del Webb community in Ashburn.
This 300-acre development includes 136 acres of open space, along with a 29,000-square-foot recreation center with indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a fitness center, an indoor running/walking track, and multipurpose space that can be combined or separated for various events and activities.
A great room with a fireplace, billiards and card rooms are also in the recreation center, and outdoor spaces include a veranda, tennis and boccie courts, gardens and walking trails.
Pulte is building two- and three-bedroom villa homes, with 1,314 to 2,345 square feet, which are priced from the low to upper $300,000s.
Single-family homes, which have two or three baths and range from 1,672 to 2,919 square feet, are priced from the low $400,000s to the low $500,000s.
Centex Homes is also building villas and single-family homes at Potomac Green. The single-family homes, which include a two-car garage and 2,489 to 2,774 finished square feet, are base-priced from the upper $300,000s to the upper $400,000s.
The three villa models, which also include a two-car garage, have 2,402 to 2,641 square feet. Base prices from the villas begin in the mid-$300,000s.
The Turner model by Centex, a single-family home, includes a dining room and an open floor plan with a center-island kitchen, family room and morning room. A computer room/study off the morning room can be converted to a master suite sitting room, if desired.
The first-floor master suite includes two walk-in closets and a bath with a tub and separate shower. This level also includes a second bedroom with a walk-in closet, a second full bath and a laundry room/mudroom with a large linen closet. Upstairs are an open loft, a bedroom, a full bath and a storage area.
Homeowner association fees are $265 per month.
Call 703/723-9105 or visit www.delwebb.com for the Pulte/Del Webb homes. For Centex Homes call 703/592-0295 or visit www.centex homes.com.
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