Community living developments (Denver, Aurora, Arvada: townhomes, neighborhoods, YMCA)

[5thIndian]

Are there any development/communities in Colorado that are all in one stop living? They are usually mostly townhomes but have community facilities such as pool, tennis courts, grocery store, etc.

I know the CO small towns are exactly this but I mean in more populated areas or even in the mountain areas.

I think I remember reading about one development that was an even more stepped up version of community living, but not exactly retirement living- I think it was in the Boulder area.

Thx.

[Neditate]

I am not aware of any in Boulder. Do you mean something like this? Wild Sage Cohousing, a cohousing community in Boulder, Colorado
But it doesn't have a grocery store or the amenities that you mentioned.

Maybe Prospect in Longmont? Sales at Prospect New Town (http://www.prospectnewtown.com/story.html - broken link)
Or Bradburn Village in Westminster? Bradburn Village | Home
Or a development such as Stapleton in Denver? Discover Stapleton | A Sustainable Community Near Downtown Denver

[5thIndian]

Thanks for these links, Neditate. Really helpful. Do you know anyone in those areas? What's the general opinion about them?

[Neditate]

You're welcome. I don't know anyone who lives in any of those developments, sorry. There is someone on the forums who goes by "Bradburn" (I think) who lives in Bradburn Village and loves it. Maybe if you do a search you can find him/her and ask specific questions. I know there are some threads on that area.
Good luck!

[Katarina Witt]

There's the Nyland Co-Housing in Lafayette.

Nyland Cohousing | Reinventing Community in Lafayette, Colorado (6 miles east of Boulder)

[5thIndian]

Thx, Katiana. I didn't realize there were so many of these in CO. So, far I have a list of 6 or 7! Some are too close knit for me, but others just seem like fun places to live. And Neditate, I did that search and found lots of posts on Bradburn that way. Good idea.

[livecontent]

I do not really think you necessarily need a community development that has "...community facilities such as pool, tennis courts, grocery store.." A community can be a neighborhood that has all those amenities nearby, within walking distance or a quick trip on good public transit.

I will give you an example. You can live within walking distance of 80th and Wadsworth in Arvada. There is a indoor city Pool; a King Soopers Grocery; Parks with Lakes and trails; Nature Preserve; A Target; a Safeway; Vitamin Cottage; Sunflower Market; More restaurants and Stores and a Post Office. The Public Transit is excellent and frequent on Wadsworth.

There are many such neighborhoods in the Denver area. The Pool and the Parks are supported by taxes, which you pay, if you use them or not. Why would you want to pay expensive homeowners fees to maintain a private pool and a park when The Denver area is known for the extensive public parks and community recreation facilities. In addition, you have more variety and access to bigger stores that are already in a commercial area in a neighborhood.

Many of these neighborhoods are not well known to outsiders but can be found easily. You do not need a fancy overpriced development. I always say if you want a good walkable neighborhood with good public transit--get a map of where the King Soopers (or any other grocery store, you prefer). A good grocery store is always necessary for a great neighborhood. Overlay a map of The Regional Transportation District buses and rail; add the local map of parks and recreations and you are on the path to find a good place.

Livecontent

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by livecontent

I do not really think you necessarily need a community development that has "...community facilities such as pool, tennis courts, grocery store.." A community can be a neighborhood that has all those amenities nearby, within walking distance or a quick trip on good public transit.

I will give you an example. You can live within walking distance of 80th and Wadsworth in Arvada. There is a indoor city Pool; a King Soopers Grocery; Parks with Lakes and trails; Nature Preserve; A Target; a Safeway; Vitamin Cottage; Sunflower Market; More restaurants and Stores and a Post Office. The Public Transit is excellent and frequent on Wadsworth.

There are many such neighborhoods in the Denver area. The Pool and the Parks are supported by taxes, which you pay, if you use them or not. Why would you want to pay expensive homeowners fees to maintain a private pool and a park when The Denver area is known for the extensive public parks and community recreation facilities. In addition, you have more variety and access to bigger stores that are already in a commercial area in a neighborhood.

Many of these neighborhoods are not well known to outsiders but can be found easily. You do not need a fancy overpriced development. I always say if you want a good walkable neighborhood with good public transit--get a map of where the King Soopers (or any other grocery store, you prefer). A good grocery store is always necessary for a great neighborhood. Overlay a map of The Regional Transportation District buses and rail; add the local map of parks and recreations and you are on the path to find a good place.

Livecontent

I tend to agree with you, but these developments appeal to certain people. The one in Lafayette, Nyland, has more of a communal approach with group meals, etc. There are no shopping facilities on the premises, nor is the development particularly walkable to anywhere but the Boulder Valley YMCA and the shops around there (coffee shops, boutiques, and so forth).

[Bradburn1]

Yep, I live in Bradburn, have for 5 years and yep, LOVE it. Can walk to everything stores, services, parks, open space--awesome Sprouts organic grocery. I HATE driving which is one of the reasons I love it here. Bradburn is also like a small village--everyone knows each other and we have a strong sense of community. That is honestly its best feature. Tons of neighborhood events all the time. I also appreciate the nice different home designs we have in here as well as more house colors than beige. However, as Livecontent pointed out, it is expensive (IMO). This is a problem with all such "new urbanist" developments simply due to supply and demand. I am also very, very familiar with every other new urbanist development in Denver so here's a short bit of the highlights for each:

Bradburn: Super walkable from every home. Price range for single family homes 300-900K. Super social and close knit. Tons of kids (especially elementary age). Great schools elementary through high school. Between Boulder and Denver (great for techies who can commute to either downtown in 20-30 min). However, not a good choice for people who do not want to know their neighbors.

Stapleton: Most single family homes are not in walking distance to town centers (but are biking distance). Awesome parks. Social and friendly but very large so not as "cozy". Surrounding neighborhoods are a concern for some people. Schools very overcrowded but they are working on the issue and planning on building a new school. Great location for people working downtown, at DIA, or in Aurora. Great public transit. Price range single family homes 300-900K but get less for $$ than in Bradburn.

Prospect: Neato development with unusual houses. Crazy, fun colors. Good commuting distance to Boulder but not Denver. Spendy for single family homes (400-over 1 mil). Can walk to things in Prospect such as coffee shop and 2 great restaurants but not to anything else. Hear is very social and friendly but tends to have an older demographic with less kids due to price of homes. Not sure about schools but is Boulder county so assume are good.

Holiday neighborhood (Boulder): Very expensive for what you get (is Boulder) except for the cohousing and the price controlled housing. Can walk to some things such as coffee and restaurants but no close grocery store. On north end of Boulder so commute to downtown Denver is nightmarish. Single family homes 400-over 1 mil but much smaller than in other developments for same price. Hear is social and has super cool community garden.

Feel free to send me a private message if you have specific Bradburn questions, but as Livecontent pointed out, there are many places in Denver you can get the walkability aspect without the high price.

[5thIndian]

Thanks Bradburn. I agree with Livecontent but as you pointed out these planned developments offer something more- but with a pricetag. I hope to learn more when I visit in April. I may PM you if I don't feel my realtor can inform me enough.