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The amenities offered by the newest village in Sherburne
are enough to make any homebuyer's day - no lawn mowing, no
snow removal. But there's a catch to having a piece of this
homeowner's heaven: you must be 55 or older to live here.
"The motivation behind
Westlake Village is to offer condominium living for maturing
adults, with the sense of community," said Dianne Antaya,
community manager. "With all the outdoor chores done
for your, there is more time for golf, fishing, canoeing,
whatever."
At the ribbon cutting ceremony
and luncheon on Friday October 5, developers Donald Westcott
and Scott Simpson invited guests to tour the 16 units, of
which three have already been sold. After the initial phase
of two eight-unit buildings, two more phases are planned to
complete the 37-acre village. An existing 1870-era building
is being converted into a common house where residents' mail
will be delivered, a dining hall for shared meals, and seven
guest rooms which will be offered free of charge for guests
of homeowners. The recreation barn will hold a wellness center
with exercise equipment, a library and an upstairs reading
room with a view of the lake, as well as a socializing center
with a bar and pool table.
Flanking one of the community's two
ponds is a pavilions constructed for outdoor gatherings, and
where developers envision residents having a farmer's market
to sell vegetables they have grown in the gardens surrounding
the pavilion. Some of the raised plantings beds have already
been built that can be tended while sitting on the edge and
without stooping.
Fran Hillman of Erieville, who
visited Westlake Village on Friday, has her home on the market
and hopes to have it sold in the spring so she can buy a unit
here.
"Everything in the town
is quite close, and I have a big home now that is too much
for me. Since I lost my husband, I've had a hard time keeping
the place maintained," Hillman said.
One major offering is that residents
have landscaping, snow removal and property maintenance done
for them by the community association to which they will belong.
Virginia and David Harnig from
Sidney Center in Delaware County, accompanied their friend
Fran to visit the community.
"Right now we have a large property
and it either requires mowing or snowblowing," said Virginia
Harnig. "But we have a motor home and we'd rather be
camping."
The community plans to
offer secure adjacent storage for
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motor homes,
campers and boats owned by residents.
The
units which include one, two or three bedrooms, all with wheelchair
accessible doorways, offer options like chairlifts for stairway
and open or screened porches. "The walls
are super-insulated concrete, which are soundproof, and rated
between R-45 and R-47, while ceilings are rated R-50.,"
said Westcott, referring to high insulation and energy-saving
standards. "Very desirable for keeping heating and cooling
costs down."
The completed
community will offer 86 homes, on 37 acres and an 8-acre lake.
Home buyers will join an owners' association and will decide
how the development will be managed and some of the amenities
that will be offered. An existing Sears and Roebuck-manufactured
house, which was shipped in by railroad in 1913 and assembled
by local carpenters will be used as the association office,
and will be remodeled to match the rest of the community. An
existing barn on the west side of the property will be the maintenance
hub, while another barn will be turned into a classic car or
motorcycle repair depot for residents' use.
Developers have received the go-ahead from the Attorney General's
office to offer the units for sale. An advantage of building
the units as condominiums makes them a closer kin to apartments,
causing the property values to be assessed in a different way
than if they were built as single ownership townhomes. Members
of the Sherburne local government were present for the ribbon
cutting ceremonies and said they were pleased with the way the
development has progressed.
"I
want to thank the village of Sherburne for cooperating with
us on the electric, sewer and water utilities," Westcott
said. "We wouldn't be able to do this if we were out in
the country somewhere because the cost of bringing those services
would be prohibitive. We are right near the edge of town, and
close to the Rogers Environmental Center."
The
community will contribute to the local tax base, pay for municipal
services, and provide jobs for local people.
Westcott
introduced the community's first homebuyers, Doug and Rowena
Crumb, who are actively working with the development team to
get the owners' association set up.
"We've
lived in Sherburne for many years, but we like living closer
to the village, not having the upkeep of driveways to shovel,
lawns to mow and we like the community aspect." said Crumb.
" It is fun being in at the beginning and helping to set
things up. We feel like we're a part of it."
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