Retirement communities bustle with events, camaraderie
On cold winter days, those approaching retirement love to contemplate moving to a sunny, warm climate where they don't have to contend with cold and snow.
But when pushed to actually make the decision to leave the Chicago area, relatively few of those dreamers actually move away. Most find it difficult to leave family, friends, doctors and churches to start a new life where they know no one. Others simply love the cultural, shopping and athletic offerings of this world-class city and are reluctant to leave them. Still others choose to have two homes and split their time.
Doug and Carolyn Meneely sold their home in Schaumburg and moved to the Regency active adult community at The Woods of South Barrington in December 2010. Both are retired and they now spend their time traveling the world and splitting their time between their homes in South Barrington and Seattle.
“We felt that it was important to be near our three children and eight grandchildren who live in Seattle and Lake Forest,” Doug explained.
He estimated that they spend 60 percent of their time in Chicago, 30 percent in their Seattle townhouse overlooking the Cascade Mountains and 10 percent traveling.
“We spend more of our time in Chicago because that is where most of our friends are, as well as our church where we have lots of close relationships,” he said.
The Meneelys gravitated to an active adult community here because they wanted to be around people their own age, liked the security and the clubhouse and were happy to have their snow removed in the winter and their lawn mowed in the summer, Doug explained.
“We chose The Woods of South Barrington because it is only 12 or 13 minutes from our church; Carolyn liked the design of the homes; and we both liked the amenities and activities offered at the clubhouse. When we were building our home, Toll Brothers was incredibly open to design changes and adding options and really allowed us to customize our home,” he added.
Now that they have been there more than a year, the Meneelys said that the best part of living there is the people they have met and the many activities in which they have become involved.
Regency at The Woods of South Barrington is a gated active adult community that offers resort-class amenities and large, luxurious single-family homes.
Buyers can choose from six ranch home designs, priced from the upper $400,000s.
Regency homeowners enjoy amenities including the clubhouse with a fitness center, activity rooms, men's and women's locker rooms, a library, separate card rooms for men and women, and a multipurpose party room. Outdoor features include an outdoor heated swimming pool, a tennis court, two bocce ball courts, a shuffle board court and a putting green.
Residents have access to a new village park and walking trails leading into the new 35-acre Village of South Barrington Nature Conservancy. The park surrounds a lake and features a cultural center, outdoor auditorium and picnic tables.
Connie and Joseph Gonski also split their time between two homes — actually three right now. They plan to close March 2 on their new home at Sun City Huntley but have not yet put their longtime home in Addison on the market. They are in the process of preparing it to sell.
In addition, they have owned at home at Sun City Grand in Surprise, Ariz., since 2003 and since she retired from full-time teaching in 2006, Connie has spent her winters there. Joseph is still working.
“When I was working, I was so busy doing what I had to do that I didn't have time to do what I like to do. So I came down here to Sun City knowing no one and got involved in hiking, dance classes and fitness classes and met so many people that I am constantly busy,” Connie said.
Their purchase in Sun City Huntley was much more recent and came sooner than expected because they realized they could get a great house in a great location near the Sun City clubhouse since they are selling the last few homes there. So they went ahead and did it before Joseph retired.
“We have had such a good experience at the Sun City in Arizona that we knew we would love a similar situation in Huntley. It is so easy to make friends in an active adult community with all of the fun activities,” Connie said.
“Once you have lived the active adult lifestyle, it is hard to not have all of these organized activities,” she admitted. “Last summer when I returned to Addison, I was kind of bored.”
But the Gonskis didn't want to move to Arizona permanently and leave Chicago because they have an 18-month-old granddaughter and lots of friends in Illinois and still have a boat on the Chain O' Lakes that they like to use.
”So we decided to opt for the best of both worlds — summers in Illinois and winters in Arizona,” Connie stated.
Sun City Huntley is situated on 2,200 acres of open spaces and green areas. The community features ranch homes starting in the $170s.
Sun City Huntley features two lodges offering almost every amenity imaginable — a grill restaurant, championship golf course, state-of-the-art fitness centers, indoor and outdoor pools and walking tracks. Other amenities include a workshop, tennis club and softball complex, as well as a variety of chartered clubs and interest groups. Wildflower Park provides an ideal setting for picnics and fishing, horseshoes, bocce ball courts and four miles of paths for walking and biking.
Only about 20 of the 5,750 homes planned at Sun City Huntley remain to be sold by the builder, Pulte/Del Webb.
Paul and Janelle Jochim chose to move to D.R. Horton's Carillon at Cambridge Lakes in Pingree Grove when it was time to sell their home in Hoffman Estates.
“We were at an age where we didn't like scooping snow and doing yard work anymore. We were hiring people to do it at our home so we decided it was time to move and start to enjoy life more,” Janelle explained.
While they like to take cruises and visit family in Nebraska occasionally, they had no desire to move to warmer climes since they have two daughters and two grandchildren in Illinois, including a disabled daughter living in Clearbrook.
“We also wanted to stay near Chicago because it is such a great city and we appreciate what it has to offer. We love to try different restaurants, shop on Michigan Avenue, go to shows and walk along Lake Michigan,” Janelle said.
So they looked for a community nearby.
“We liked Carillon because it was smaller than some of the other active adult communities and we felt that it would be easier to get to know people here,” she said.
“We love the closeness of this community. We all work together and know that we can knock on any door and be made to feel welcome because we all have grandchildren and common interests,” Janelle added.
Once completed Carillon at Cambridge Lakes, will feature 1,297 townhouses and single family homes. Townhouses begin at $119,990, while single family homes start at $179,990.
The community offers a private clubhouse with indoor/outdoor pool and fitness center which hosts clubs, exercise classes, billiards, card groups and many other activities. Walking paths, tennis courts and bocce courts grace the surrounding grounds.
June Huitt, a freelance textbook editor, loved the city so much that when she retired two years ago she sold her three-flat in Lincoln Square and chose to purchase at Belle Plaine Commons at 2335 West Belle Plaine in Chicago's North Center neighborhood.
“I felt that it would be helpful to be in a community with a city senior center and an Advocate Health center around the corner. There is an awful lot right at hand here. I have always been very active and I like to seek out entertainment in the city — concerts, museums, plays — so I didn't want to settle anywhere else,” Huitt explained. “I can easily take the bus or a cab to the el from here and get right downtown.”
And there is a regional city library within walking distance, too.
“This is a very attractive, well-placed neighborhood and Belle Plaine Commons is a big enough building that you can find people who share your tastes, no matter what they are,” she said. “For instance, we screen movies every night of the week and we have different people who choose different genres. I choose the foreign and independent films and the documentaries. It is a nice way to meet people who have similar tastes. We also have book discussion groups, exercise classes, art classes and many other activities so it is very easy to find company if you want it.”
Belle Plaine Commons is a 92-unit new construction building which overlooks the five-acre Gene Schulter Park's large flowing green spaces, flowers, shrubs and trees, as well as its fountains, decorative lighting, and benches for residents and visitors. Prices range from $169,500 to $180,000 for the three remaining one-bedroom condominiums and from $195,000 to $199,000 for the three remaining one-bedroom-plus-den condominiums with 1.5 baths. Prices include one outdoor parking space but heated garage parking is also available.
For a short time, one free upgrade per unit will also be available for the remaining residences. They will install hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances or a washer/dryer.
The decision on where to move was an easy one for Dave and Lynn Boebel. They sold their home in Mundelein and moved only a mile and a half into Del Webb's Grand Dominion active adult community last July.
“We talked about moving out of state — to Wisconsin,” Dave admitted. “But we didn't want to leave our grandchildren. So we looked at Grand Dominion and liked the layout, amenities, landscaping and activities, clubs and social events.”
“I love waking up and being in a vacation home everyday,” he added. “Our neighbors are very cool and we do things together all the time.”
“There is so much going on here that we don't need to be gone for months at a time,” Dave said.
“We love Grand Dominion. It will only have 725 homes so it is smaller than Sun City Huntley and closer to our five kids and nine grandkids. Our doctors are also nearby and we like the familiarity of staying near our former home,” he stated.
“We have been here about six months and we couldn't be more pleased,” Dave continued. “It is unbelievable how open and friendly people are here.”
Grand Dominion is designed around a 13-acre natural lake, taking advantage of rolling topography and beautiful views to create the perfect setting for active adult living. With nearly 100 acres of open space, Grand Dominion is relaxed and peaceful. The lodge features a state-of-the-art fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools, bocce and tennis courts and walking trails along the shores of Lake Dominion. Single-family homes start in the low $240,000s.