Retirement communities (Denver, Colorado Springs, Broomfield: apartments, condo, houses)

[froggin4colorado]

I know we aren't FL or TX, but IMO we have such beautiful/mild weather. Where are our retirement communtities?

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by froggin4colorado

I know we aren't FL or TX, but IMO we have such beautiful/mild weather. Where are our retirement communtities?

I keep asking the same question. There is a Del Webb community on the east side of Denver, along E-470 on the way to the airport. I think our weather, land and home prices here are more amenable to retirement communities than Denver. IMO, a sizable chunk of that Banning Lewis Ranch area is very well suited to the kind of retirement 'towns' built by Del Webb (part of Pulte) which seem a good venture. Not sure why they overlook us.

I've discussed this idea in detail several times in this forum, in the Banning Lewis Ranch thread, here is what I wrote:

" As a retiree, I'm hoping one of these huge plots of land like Banning-Lewis would be turned into a retiree town, like a Sun City, as built by Del Webb. I've seen the new Sun City places in AZ, TX and VA and they are fine. I love driving a golf cart to the local coffee shop or restaurant, so very civilized.

Colorado is overlooking the impending mass of 60 million baby boomer retirees, which I'm on the front end of. We bring big money out of high cost coastal areas (east and west) and look for a different pace of life. A retiree town that stands on it's own can do that, but there really aren't any here in CO, despite the nice climate. The CO income tax exemption on a portion of pension income should also be attractive to retirees.

Great thing about us retirees is that we don't need jobs (no need for city council to give tax break$ to industry to come here) and since we don't need jobs, we don't clog any roads at rush hour, so no need for extra lanes. We don't need schools for kids, that happened a generation ago - and make no mistake, schools are about 50% of most city and county budgets.

We aren't rowdy either, so don't need that much in the way of police, courts and jails. Our pension checks don't bounce, and our jobs (get up, eat, play, surf the net) don't go overseas. So, where is an aspiring billionaire wannabe with a 5000-10,000 acre plot of land that wants to build Sun City Colorado?"

[TheBeach]

Speaking of retirement communities... my brother-in-law decided to retire to Prescott, AZ to live. Then after a winter there, he decided to buy another house in Sun City Grand (Surprise, AZ) where he could go for the Winter. He doesn't like the cold (he lived in silicon valley his entire life). I remember friends and neighbors in the Seattle area telling me they are going to move to Arizona when they retire. The general theme for retired folks is that they want to move to a warmer climate.

Since it gets very cold here in the Winter, Colorado Springs probably isn't going to be a world-class retirement community. But what it might do is try to attract the summer home retirement crowd. The downside to living in the Phoenix area is that it's so hot and miserable in the summer. If you can swing it, you like to have another home in a cooler place in the summer. I think Colorado Springs is very nice in the Summer.

Perhaps the city and state could work on some solution where you pay property taxes based on the amount of time you are here? Or utilities like gas, water, electric, phone have special deals so you pay the lowest possible cost while away. For people with two houses, they are always trying to find a way to keep costs down.

[love colo summers]

I heard there is a new retirement neighborhood going into Flying Horse. I checked the Classic Homes website and it says "Coming Spring 2009" - they call it an active adult community, I assume that's the same thing.

I don't know of any other retirement neighborhoods in CS. Just the Del Webb projects in the Denver area mentioend by Mike.

[CS-Urbanist]

I don't understand why we don't have any true retirement communities in Colorado Springs. There are several "patio home" areas that lend themselves to active adults, but not a whole lot that I can think of that are actually the Del Webb sort.

Some in Flying Horse currently as well as the La Beleeza homes by Keller Homes in Pine Creek as well as west on Woodmen (way west)...

[Vision67]

I am retired. I live in Briargate in a single family home. If I decide to not mow my lawn, I can easily hire somebody to do it. What would I want from a "retirement community" that i cannot get already?

I'm not missing anything.

[froggin4colorado]

True Vision. Guess I am asking about the communities that my grandparents have lived in that cater to adults with lots of get together activities, a community building of some kind, etc.

[CS-Urbanist]

There's an age restricted trailer park on South Circle across from Kohl's... Probably not what you are looking for... My neighborhood seems to be about 25% retirement age, I always see a lot of retired folks walking to the grocery store/ liquor store...

[suzco]

Not in the Springs, but in Denver metro in addition to the Anthem/Pulte development in Broomfield Mike from Back East mentioned, there's a new 55+ community by Pulte in Golden – Parkview Villas.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Vision67

I am retired. I live in Briargate in a single family home. If I decide to not mow my lawn, I can easily hire somebody to do it. What would I want from a "retirement community" that i cannot get already?

I'm not missing anything.

Same here, retired and in a SFH near Pine Creek HS. The one thing about the Del Webb communities we've been to, like Sun City Grand in Surprize, AZ, was that they were entire small towns. You could drive a golf cart on the streets, to the "in-town" coffee shop, golf course, hobby center, gym/pool, convenience store, eateries, etc. Very nice aspect. The larger world that we all have here in Briargate was outside the gates of the small town.

Not sure when I'll give up living in a SFH, if ever, and I'd consider it if builders would build stuff that's really solid and highly soundproof. The three different apartments we lived in back in the mid-1970's were all noisy, especially the two garden apartments, where we could hear people talking in the bathroom next to ours and when they opened their medicine cabinet I thought it was mine that was being opened. The high rise in Crystal City, VA that we lived in was fairly quiet and very convenient, with an underground shopping area and underground walkway to the subway stop, but not much else in the way of amenities. I could see myself in a mid-rise condo in a retirement community someday, but I'm not ready yet.