Special feature: Active-adult community residents trade maintenance for fun

Active-adult communities, restricted to residents age 55 or older, are designed to meet the high standards of today’s retirees and pre-retirees. Empty nesters ready to be relieved of household maintenance chores are often attracted to these communities, which usually have a staff to shovel snow, rake leaves and maintain lawns and common areas.

Amenities for active-adult communities usually include a club where residents can meet their neighbors, entertain friends and family, exercise, and pursue interests such as arts and crafts or billiards. Most of these communities provide plenty of opportunities for socializing with neighbors and staying fit with walking trails, swimming pools, exercise equipment and tennis courts.

The home types vary from single-family homes to villas, town homes and condominiums in active-adult communities, but all include either a one-level floor plan, a first-floor master suite or an elevator to meet the needs of residents as they age.

In the Washington area, some of the larger active-adult communities have sold out (or nearly sold out) with only resale homes available. The following developments are among the newer active-adult communities in Maryland.

Pulte Homes Inc. and Del Webb Corp. are developing Carroll Vista in Taneytown in Carroll County, a community located 10 miles from Gettysburg, Pa., and 60 miles from both the District and Baltimore. The community is close to Frederick and Westminster for shopping and dining, as well as several golf courses.

Community amenities include a lifestyle director, who plans community activities and outings; a club with an indoor swimming pool; an indoor driving range; a fitness center; an exercise room; a sauna; game rooms; craft rooms; a multipurpose ballroom; a great room with a fireplace and television; and a library.

Carroll Vista’s grounds include walking trails, shuffleboard and bocce courts, a gazebo, butterfly and meditation gardens, putting greens, four chip-and-putt golf holes, tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool.

Three styles of homes are currently available at Carroll Vista, ranging from 1,417 to 1,550 finished square feet. The homes are base-priced from $249,990 to $279,990. The homes have two bedrooms, two baths and a two-car garage. Inside, they have hardwood floors in the kitchen and foyer; upgraded ceramic tile floors in the baths and laundry room; a gas fireplace; crown and chair-rail moldings; and maple cabinets, stainless steel appliances and granite counters in the kitchen. Buyers can add a loft or a finished lower level. Call 410/840-3126 or visit www.delwebb.com/carrollvista.

At Central Parke at Colonial Charles, Slenker Land Corp. is developing a community with resortlike amenities in a wooded 126-acre enclave in Waldorf in Charles County. Single-family homes and villas are available now from the Airston Group Inc. and Woodside Communities, with condominiums planned for the future.

Plans for the club at Colonial Charles include casual dining options, a lakeside terrace, a grand hall, a great room, an auditorium and rooms for playing games and enjoying hobbies. The resort club will have a fitness room, an outdoor swimming pool, a sauna and a whirlpool. The community will include tennis courts and walking trails, plus a lifestyle director to coordinate activities and outings.

A maintenance program provides lawn and garden maintenance and snow shoveling for residents. Residents are near the Potomac River, golf courses and shopping at St. Charles Towne Center.

The Airston Group has several styles of single-family homes available with one or two levels, priced from $249,900 to $279,900. These homes have 9-foot ceilings, a two-car garage, a first-floor master suite, gas heat, a gas fireplace and a luxury master bath.

The Woodside single-family homes, which have Craftsman-style architecture, are priced from $279,900 to $329,900. The Woodside villas are priced from $229,900 to $249,900.

Call 301/437-5106 for Airston, 301/885-2205 for Woodside or visit www.centralparke.com/cc.

At Legacy at Greenview in New Market in Frederick County, Ryan Homes is developing an active-adult community with maintenance-free living and plenty of recreational amenities. Within the community, residents can enjoy a swimming pool, tennis courts and a club where neighbors gather for social and recreational activities.

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