Retiring Boomers Seek Security, Smaller Homes & Golf

At a time when aging boomers may begin trading their tennis rackets for golf clubs and taking up yoga instead of mountain climbing developers are discovering what the seniors of tomorrow really want and how to provide it at a reasonable cost. To some it may seem like Florida, California and Arizona moving north- - -gated communities, downsized homes and a friendly golf course

For a peak into the future, which for some is just around the corner, BC Golf News presents the following lifestyle feature.

DOWNSIZING: Builders Catering To Seniors' Lifestyle

By HANK DANISZEWSKI,
Sun Media - Niagara Falls Review

When the big bulge of baby boomers starts scouting for places to retire, London, Ontario will look pretty good.

It has already lured people like Marc and Beverly Lacelle away from Niagara-on-the-Lake, the jewel of the Golden Horseshoe.

The Lecelles did their homework, checking out seniors communities from Victoria. B. C., to Ottawa. They decided the gated golf community of RiverBend in west London was the best deal in Canada.

Both avid golfers, they were looking for a home in a community with outstanding health care, good social amenities and quality of life. After checking out London for a week, they were convinced they had found their utopia.

"There was no doubt in my mind this was where we wanted to be. This is the best deal in the country," said Marc Lacelle, 68, a retired electrical contractor originally from Ottawa.

Demographer David Foot, author of Boom, Bust and Echo, said London and surrounding communities such as Woodstock and St. Thomas will be an attractive alternative for empty nest baby boomers from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). He says many empty-nesters are relatively well-off and can help boost the municipal tax base, although they may put more burden on the health-care system.

London developers say the GTA market has also been a factor in filling up the many downtown condominiums and one-floor condo units that have sprung up here in recent years.

Foot said London and surrounding communities such St. Thomas and Woodstock offer a quieter lifestyle. But the big selling point is a dramatic difference in house prices that can give them an instant retirement nest egg.

"They can maintain a suburban home for their grandkids to visit and still pocket half the value of their old home," he said.

With the cash from the sale of their Niagara-on-the-Lake home, the Lecelles bought and upgraded a larger home in River-Bend, paid for a golf cart and membership in the community's private golf course and still had $100,00 left over.

RiverBend was developed by Sifton Properties in 2001 on 400 acres the Siftons had owned for more than 40 years. Rick Gooyers, Sifton's vice-president of new homes, said it was the first development in Canada to be modeled on senior's communities in the United States.

"It's the Florida concept brought north. A lot of residents go south to golf communities and it seemed appropriate to provide that amenity in Ontario."

RiverBend now has about 220 homes and about half the site is still to be developed. Gooyers said all the residents are over 50 and the average age is 61. About half the residents come from outside the London area.

Residents own their home, but rent their lots from Sifton, which does all the outdoor maintenance.

All access to the community is screened by a security station at the gate. The security staff will also handle deliveries and check residents' homes when they're on vacation. Gated communities are still rare in Canada, but Lecelle said the RiverBend residents appreciate the extra security.

Lecelle said RiverBend has evolved into a close-knit community with an active social scene built around the golf course.

"When someone is in trouble, there is always someone there to help," he said.

London is also considered a prime market for the next stage of housing - self-contained seniors communities and long-term care facilities

Although most boomers are at least 20 years from needing such a facility, there has been a flurry of seniors communities construction economy in London in recent years.

One of the largest has been the Chartwell Residence on Riverside Drive. The community has 138 suites and townhouses and offers full dining as well as resort-style amenities such as a spa, fitness centre, greenhouse and movie theatre.

Chartwell Seniors Housing REIT operates 271 seniors housing communities in Canada and the U. S. and is expanding aggressively.

Phil McKenzie, Chartwell's vice-president of marketing, said baby boomers are a major factor in marketing because they typically scout out the homes for their elderly parents.

"They are not viewing your residence through an 83-year-old's eyes, but through a baby boomer's eyes," he said.

McKenzie said the London market has good growth potential - the city's excellent health-care facilities will draw in seniors from surrounding communities.

McKenzie said the company isn't waiting for baby boomers to grow old. He said about 4.5 per cent of people older than 75 now live in seniors communities. But that market could grow if developers offer a better quality lifestyle that could entice seniors out of their private homes.

"The question with retirement residences in the past was, 'Do we need to move in?' But now we get people who want to move in," McKenzie said.