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A New Option For Retiring in Maine

A new kind of independent-living community is springing up around the state, one where the emphasis is squarely on independence.

Called "active-adult" communities, developments such as Highland Green in Topsham, Spring Pond Estates in York, and Rockwood at Cumberland in Cumberland appeal to older couples - generally kid-free, fifty-five-plus Third Agers — who don't want or need the congregate-care facilities and group meals of retirement communities but are looking for the worry-free benefits of living in a residential area that caters to their interests and outlooks. "They're geared to empty-nesters who don't want to keep up with home maintenance chores, who want the time and the freedom to pursue outside activities," explains David Banks, owner of Remax by the Bay, the agency that is handling the Rockwood condominiums in Cumberland. "There aren't many developments like that in Maine yet, but we're going to see more of them," he predicts.

"Right now this type of community is being built all over southern New England," notes John Wasileski, who is developing Highland Green as an adjunct to the Highlands, one of the first retirement-living communities in Maine. "Maine is just on the edge of the trend so far."

Highland Green, which limits residents to fifty-five and older, may well illustrate the direction active-adult communities will take in creating a uniquely Maine twist to the phenomenon. Wasileski offers a choice of a dozen or so designs for two-bedroom homes — prices range from $209,000 to well over $300,000 — on 600 acres of land bordering the Cathance River in Topsham. The project includes a clubhouse and pool, a nine-hole golf course, and more than 230 acres of easement-protected conservation land along the river and surrounding a heath. "It's a compromise between traditional development and preserving Maine's unique conservation values," Wasileski offers. Topsham town officials, already scrambling to cope with runaway residential and business development in the community north of Portland, liked the idea so much that they granted Highland Green a tax break to help get the project off the ground.

The development offers residents the same conveniences as a condominium, although the residences are designed as stand-alone homes. "We take care of all the maintenance inside and out," Wasileski explains, "from plowing the driveway to fixing the stove."

The first phase of fifty-one homes -two hundred are planned in all - has already sold out, and Wasileski confesses to some surprises among his clients. "Eight out of ten purchasers are interested in the conservation aspect over everything else," he says. "Two years ago when we started this, I would have said that maybe two out of ten would be interested in that."

The other significant shift is the market for an active-adult project as opposed to the retirement communities Wasileski has built in the past. "The standard retirement community in Maine attracts 45 percent of its residents from the local area," he explains. "Another 45 percent come from outside the state — generally to be close to other family members, such as children — and 10 percent who are following up on frequent visits as tourists by settling here. With the active-adult community, at least in our experience, a third of our customers are from the local area, a third are out-of-staters moving close to family, and a third are former vacationers. Maine has amenities that are important to them — a lack of congestion, clean air and water, cultural offerings, and a great outdoors lifestyle. Generally speaking, these aren't people who like sitting around all day."

Greystone Builders owner Walter Woods got the idea for Spring Pond Estates in York from observing the needs of his own parents as they grew older. He built the first thirty-two cottages in the complex three years ago and sold them all within two years at an average price of about $249,000, according to company spokeswoman Sue Graham. He has gone back to the town planning board for permits to build a second phase.

"We seem to have drawn many of our buyers from Boston and the larger Massachusetts market," Graham explains, although she adds that other clients have also moved in from Connecticut and New York. Curiously, Graham says that moving closer to family members doesn't seem to be a major consideration among Spring Pond's residents. "Often they've vacationed in the area for years, and now they're looking to make a permanent home here - or at least a place where they can spend a significant part of the year," she says.

Rockwood at Cumberland is a traditional condominium development with an active-adult orientation - one occupant in each unit must be fifty-five or older. "Children are allowed," explains Remax's David Banks, "but practically speaking the chances of that are slim when one owner has to be that old." The two-bedroom, two-bath units offer about 1,700 square feet of living space and a garage for $219,900 to $259,900.

Banks says town governments like active-adult developments "because there's so little impact on local schools. We've had no major problems with town boards or the permit process."

Residents of these new active-adult communities are often, but aren't always, retired. "We have a real mix of people," Banks explains. "Many of them are still working, either full- or part-time, while others are already retired. I think many people see this as part of a transition into retirement. They don't need the big house and the hassles with the furnace and raking the lawn anymore. They're starting to break free of those responsibilities and begin a new life."