Hospitals in Williamsburg (Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Richmond: real estate, HOA, townhouse)

[Piney Creek]

Originally Posted by NY Flo

I appreciate your discussing Williamsburg. Agree that the HR forum is pretty dead regarding Williamsburg issues.

May I ask what about Colonial Heritage didn't impress you? (Unless I should do so in a PM). What I like is they have an indoor pool (I love to swim year round) and seem to have a lot of activities. Haven't visited. May consider one of their weekend stays.

I also have a question regarding political climate in Williamsburg. Would someone with progressive values be out of their league in Williamsburg?

Thanks for any info.

There are a lot of people who LOVE living in Colonial Heritage, so I guess it come down to personal taste. We've gone there a few times to have dinner and enjoy the spectacular view of the sunset from their deck. I can see some advantages to living there. And the workshop there is very nice, if you're interested in woodworking.

We didn't like the style of the houses or how close they were together, but again, that's just a matter of personal taste. The trees aren't quite grown in yet, which accentuates the feeling of being a little too close to your neighbor. CH is in Toano, which has a slightly different feel from the rest of Williamsburg. A little more "good old boy" would be one way of putting it. CH itself isn't like that (although it's pretty conservative compared to other communities here), but the people who live nearby were living out in the country until just recently (when WBurg started expanding like crazy). So sometimes things happen, for example a few months back people were woken up by a neighbor in another part of Toano who who got a little drunk and started celebrating by shooting in his backyard. Things like this bother some people more than others.

Re: progressive values. If this is important to you, Colonial Heritage is probably not the right choice. Having said that, other communities in Williamsburg would be a good fit for you. WBurg has William and Mary, as well as a huge percentage of residents from NY, NJ, DC metro area, New England, California, and the Midwest. A very high percentage of the population have degrees, and a significant number have graduate degrees. As a result, you will find a wide variety of residents with a wide variety of political POVs and lifestyle, probably moreso than in any of the other communities in Hampton Roads. There are plenty of conservative people there, too (especially in older communities, with the exception of First Colony, which I will mention below).

My experience has been most people are "live and let live". Which means you'll need to be comfortable living with neighbors who might be much more conservative than you. But if you are genuinely ok with a wide diversity of political leanings you'll be happy here.

Re: First Colony. You might enjoy First Colony, which is an interesting community built in the 1970s with a distinctly liberal/artsy personality. I would recommend googling the First Colony homeowners association and reading their newsletter, you might be very pleased with this neighborhood. Be sure to check out the regatta they hold every year if you like whimsical artsy events. They have a private beach and residents gather at sunset every night to watch the sunset. Very 1970s, and a cool place in a lot of ways. Some people don't like it because the homes are 70s style and dated. And they encourage a lot of volunteer activities if you live there. But it's worth checking out.

EarthFare, Whole Foods, Harris Teeters thrive in WBurg, as well as the Salt Cave and a few new age stores. Which is not to say the area feels like northern California, but you can find stores and groups servicing the progressive lifestyle. There are a lot of people interested in green living and plant-based diets. The unitarian church is vibrant here. There are lots of people who are into kayaking, running, craft breweries, etc. But there are also plenty of people who like BBQ and pancakes.

[Piney Creek]

Originally Posted by Patrick1973

We do wish they would have one big box store. LOL

Is it a particular one or big box stores in general? WBurg has Target, Kohls, Home Depot, Lowes, WalMart, etc. The nearest Costco is in Newport News, however (about 30-45 minute drive depending on where you live in WBurg).

[Piney Creek]

Re: a question sent to me in a private message about personal property tax. Sorry I couldn't answer that by DM, I'm having computer issues. I'm afraid I don't really know the answer, but FWIW we were happily surprised by the PPT on our Prius. It was a lot lower than it had been in northern VA. It's an older car, which may be why.

[djplourd]

Put me in the group planning to retire in Williamsburg, although when is in question. For health reasons that could result in disability retirement it could be in the next year or two. If not, then it wouldn't be for another 8 years, so who knows what housing developments will be available by then.

We're leaning more towards the 55 + / active adult communities. Outside maintenance and lawn care included is a must. I know CH doesn't include lawn care but I don't know what their current HOA fees are and how much extra separate lawn care would be. If the combination is till reasonable I wouldn't cross it of the list just yet. I'm not the biggest fan of their location however.

We really like the Settlement at Powhatan Creek but the single family price point is higher than we'd like. Townhouses are out of the question.

We like the area around Monticello avenue and south towards Jamestown.

Ryan Homes has a new community called Arbordale that they're marketing as "Low-maintenance one-level living with amenities in Williamsburg from the upper $250s." Its not far from CH so its not our preferred location but I do like the price point and the included maintenance. However, I haven't been able to find out what their estimated HOA fees will be. At some point I saw something about them having a pool and fitness center. It is pretty close to the YMCA.

[Patrick1973]

Originally Posted by Piney Creek

Is it a particular one or big box stores in general? WBurg has Target, Kohls, Home Depot, Lowes, WalMart, etc. The nearest Costco is in Newport News, however (about 30-45 minute drive depending on where you live in WBurg).

Costco, BJs, Sams. We were hoping they would take over the old JC Penney location.

No worries about the PPT. I'm not sure we are calculating correctly because we have a 2011 and 2015 and by using the value x 4% are getting around 800.00. We are probably doing something wrong.

[Patrick1973]

Originally Posted by djplourd

Put me in the group planning to retire in Williamsburg, although when is in question. For health reasons that could result in disability retirement it could be in the next year or two. If not, then it wouldn't be for another 8 years, so who knows what housing developments will be available by then.

We're leaning more towards the 55 + / active adult communities. Outside maintenance and lawn care included is a must. I know CH doesn't include lawn care but I don't know what their current HOA fees are and how much extra separate lawn care would be. If the combination is till reasonable I wouldn't cross it of the list just yet. I'm not the biggest fan of their location however.

We really like the Settlement at Powhatan Creek but the single family price point is higher than we'd like. Townhouses are out of the question.

We like the area around Monticello avenue and south towards Jamestown.

Ryan Homes has a new community called Arbordale that they're marketing as "Low-maintenance one-level living with amenities in Williamsburg from the upper $250s." Its not far from CH so its not our preferred location but I do like the price point and the included maintenance. However, I haven't been able to find out what their estimated HOA fees will be. At some point I saw something about them having a pool and fitness center. It is pretty close to the YMCA.

The few homes we looked at in CH were $290/month without lawn plus there is something called a Capital Development fee. It's a one time charge.

Thanks for the tip about Arbordale. We will try to pinpoint it's exact location.

[Piney Creek]

Originally Posted by djplourd

Put me in the group planning to retire in Williamsburg, although when is in question. For health reasons that could result in disability retirement it could be in the next year or two. If not, then it wouldn't be for another 8 years, so who knows what housing developments will be available by then.

We're leaning more towards the 55 + / active adult communities. Outside maintenance and lawn care included is a must. I know CH doesn't include lawn care but I don't know what their current HOA fees are and how much extra separate lawn care would be. If the combination is till reasonable I wouldn't cross it of the list just yet. I'm not the biggest fan of their location however.

We really like the Settlement at Powhatan Creek but the single family price point is higher than we'd like. Townhouses are out of the question.

We like the area around Monticello avenue and south towards Jamestown.

Ryan Homes has a new community called Arbordale that they're marketing as "Low-maintenance one-level living with amenities in Williamsburg from the upper $250s." Its not far from CH so its not our preferred location but I do like the price point and the included maintenance. However, I haven't been able to find out what their estimated HOA fees will be. At some point I saw something about them having a pool and fitness center. It is pretty close to the YMCA.

Also consider Brandon Woods. It's not 55+, but a lot of retirees live there. What I like about it is it's in an awesome location, near everything. Very pretty community and landscaping/outside maintenance is paid for in your HOA dues.

[Piney Creek]

Originally Posted by djplourd

At some point I saw something about them having a pool and fitness center. It is pretty close to the YMCA.

If you choose a place that doesn't have a pool, there are several community pools open during the summer. The James City Rec Center pool is open all year. I'm not sure about the YMCA but wouldn't be surprised if they have one, too. And some people get passes to Water Country and use that as their local pool (although you may have to deal with lines in the parking lot if you go that route).

[djplourd]

Originally Posted by Piney Creek

Also consider Brandon Woods. It's not 55+, but a lot of retirees live there. What I like about it is it's in an awesome location, near everything. Very pretty community and landscaping/outside maintenance is paid for in your HOA dues.

I hadn't come across Brandon Woods before. I'll keep it in mind. I found on a realtor's website a listing of detached home communities in the area that include lawn maintenance* and/ or exterior home maintenance or both.

Will definitely keep Brandon Woods and the others in mind once we seriously start looking.

[djplourd]

Originally Posted by Piney Creek

If you choose a place that doesn't have a pool, there are several community pools open during the summer. The James City Rec Center pool is open all year. I'm not sure about the YMCA but wouldn't be surprised if they have one, too. And some people get passes to Water Country and use that as their local pool (although you may have to deal with lines in the parking lot if you go that route).

It looks like Arbordale will still have a pool, but not a fitness center any more.