Apartments in The Villages
 

It certainly seems that there are going to be many apartments in The Villages in various locations. I'm sure the Family will make them lovely and tasteful. That isn't my concern. The health implications are worrisome. Compared to other locations that cater to people over 55, Villagers have had a comparatively low incidence of Covid. Unlike most other communities that offer housing for seniors, we have been fortunate to not have multi-family units. We don't have to be exposed to others in hallways, elevators or public transportation. Those certainly are among the close quarters that we are warned to avoid. At this point, we all have to provide our own transportation so that isn't an issue. Whether or not we choose to live in one of the new apartments, we will be exposed to others who frequent the communal spaces in the buildings. Six months ago, this would never have been a concern. We live in a different world now.

With any luck, by the time they are built it won't be a concern any longer.

People are already moving into the Lofts at Brownwood.

These apartments will offer a nice option for folks in 3 and 4 bedroom designer home that may want to downsize and still remain in TV and be among their friends

And into the Villas, Houses, Assisted Living facilities etc. People are coming from all over, Leesburg, Ocala, Orlando etc to work in the stores, restaurants, and entertainment. We go to grocery stores, big box stores and local stores. You are alway possibly exposed.

Very good point. Not to mention landscapers an d others offering their services

Same world we’ve always lived in. Viruses and bacteria have been around longer than we have. Some are worse than others. Some come and go. The seasonal flu kills many seniors too, why is it only COVID that causes you to worry about apartments. They both thrive when there is close human contact.

The seasonal flu has not EVER killed 170,000 Americans in six months.

AND no matter who wins the election, Covid-19 will be a REAL danger to people over 70 until we get a vaccine that works or drugs that help in every case of serious lung involvement.

People are leaving big city apartments in droves and moving to single family homes to get away from close proximity to others. We should not be bucking that trend but rather paying attention to it. I personally, do not like the idea of apartments (I'm from NYC) I prefer the open air lifestyle we currently have here of not being on top of each other, not smelling someone's cooking in the hallway, or someone yelling at their dog/spouse in the apartment next door. We should keep the current style of Villages single family homes, clean, pristine like the original intent of peaceful living, not crowd-controlled, tight quarters. Ugh! That would be a sad evolution of this place.

I hardly think you can compare living in an upscale apartment in TV to living in a high rise in NYC or any other big city for that matter.

Im still not convinced we all want to maintain lawns, roofs, etc., in our retirement years. An apartment and or condo is a great solution. And as we all know, TV is going to do what TV wants to do and there aint much we can do about it.

Compare deaths in US from flu pre vaccine vs covid pre vaccine. In the United States, a quarter of the population caught the virus, 675,000 died, and life expectancy dropped by 12 years. With no vaccine to protect against the virus, people were urged to isolate, quarantine, practice good personal hygiene, and limit social interaction. 1918 vs 2020 so yes we have beat those numbers thus far. Need the vaccine warp speed.

Apartments in the old Katie Belles.
 

I see they are looking to put apartments in the old Katie Belles location.

You are spot on! I cannot believe the population growth this will entail. Scary😬

Apparently the housing forecasters used by the developer are not making the same predictions that you are. And they likely have the experience with the Lofts at Brownwood to reinforce that prediction! With the age of the Villages' population increasing, I am betting that there's a good number of folks who are ready to give up property maintenance responsibilities and enjoy that elevator ride down to the pool and other amenities! Now when you start a development corp - you'll be able to build just what you want to build and not what someone else thinks you should build!

We would prefer to see some condo options (own instead of rent). This is a retirement community. I can’t believe we are the only ones who would be interested in that. As we get older and maintaining the exterior and yard gets harder, a condo is looking better all the time. It would be too bad if we would have to move out of the TV to find something. Not interested in paying rent.

If you build it, they will come
 

The Morse family has only taken up an idea that many people I know over the years have talked about .The apartments are another great option for people who are tired of living in a home for any number of reasons , and especially for people who have lost a spouse and maybe are lonely, apartment living Is a good cure for that. There are people here in independent living that would have rather had the option of apartment living , I personally know a woman who is moving from independent to the lofts, she has no health problems and just didn’t want to live in a house after her husband passed . I treat my homes like an apartment, I don’t do anything and that includes never turning on a stove and if there’s a tool in house someone left it here , but at 81 I’m glad there are options to enjoy in future

The Morses are ahead of the curve on this one. Older single people don’t want the responsibility of a 3 bedroom house after their spouses pass. Downsizing is the trend as you retire and age. Just like preparing big dinners whence young, not so much as you retire if at all.

Yes, I’ve heard that and many of us have been in that building. I’m no expert on construction but it’s going to be very costly to turn that place into apartments. It’s hard for me to imagine that to be cost effective and the Developer has spend a considerable amount of money to remodel the old Katie Belles. Makes me wonder...

It’s not COVID-19 that worries me when it comes to the sudden building of apartments in TV. I am thinking about increased traffic as apartments will bring more people and more congestion. I’m not thrilled with this change in our community.

It should be a major concern!

As we age, the thought of living in an apartment does sound more appealing. Don't have to worry about yard and general maintenance. What concerns me is the additional cars that these apartments will bring into a small area. It will definitely bog down traffic around the squares

Where would you like your single-wide trailer dropped off, since that was the ORIGINAL INTENT of this place?

Maybe progress isn't such a bad thing.

Most properties are built on quality of single and double wides. :icon_wink:

As residents age, it does get more difficult to maintain a whole house. In recent years, we have seen an increase in Independent and Assisted Living facilities in the area, which has helped. They seem to have no trouble filling them up. However there are very few Life Care/CCRC type places nearby. Perhaps instead of regular apartments here in TV, older residents would be better served with an alternate option to Freedom Pointe. A CCRC with villas with attached carports or garages, or at least apartments with balconies/patios and in unit w/d, would be nice IMO. Housekeeping, etc. would be covered. All I know is when the time comes, IF I would outlive my spouse, I would sell my house and move to a CCRC to know I'd be taken care of for the remainder of my days. Too many old people burden their kids with that overwhelming stress and responsibility.

Jayhawk, From your lips to G-D'S ear!!

Wonder how expensive they will be? The thought of carrying groceries, etc. up to your apt. and parking and having to walk to the building doesn't appeal to me. I like driving right up into my house and walking right in. Especially with the golf cart.

I do not have strong feelings on this subject re. apartments. (I almost always do !). BUT no one ever mentions villas.

This thread pertains to building apartments in The Villages... and is in Villages/General topic area. A number of posts discussing the Covid virus were removed. You can discuss that over in Current Events. Please stay on topic.

Moderator

Not yet, but wait about 5 years and rethink?

I wonder how the apartment dwellers at Katie Belle's will enjoy the nightly music on the square...or will the developer do away with that if the apartment dwellers complain....as they will.

Living in a 1,200 sq. ft. patio villa with a 2-car garage, 2 bedrooms and 2 baths would be much cheaper than paying for a similar apartment even taking into consideration the taxes and exterior maintenance. I don't have a problem with the apartments going up but I would never live in one, I need air, quiet, room, etc. I lived in an apartment in 1966 and will never do it again. Just as a side note, we went to the Lofts to see the amenities last week and there was a couple sitting in their Loft apartment patio looking out at the parking lot and garages, I think not.

Well I guess the developer can be grateful that there are also folks who do not share your preferences!

Wow, what an incredibly insensitive and insulting thing to say to the many wonderful Villagers living in manufactured homes (yes, they are manufactured homes, not trailers) in the beautiful Historic Section of the Villages. Congratulations on offending all these wonderful fellow Villagers, who are proud to call what you incorrectly refer to as trailers their homes.

Yes, we can definitely compare upscale Villages lofts to NYC apartments bcs the nature of being a multifamily blog does have inherent similarities. In this post we seen to be focused on bldg structure. So think about every time you leave your loft, you encounter other people. Not just another person, but two, several, a group. You will pass them just inches away from your own body. They may not have masks on. They may be talking or even coughing. In an apartment bldg, no matter how nicely designed or how well kept, you really can never be cleaner than your dirtiest neighbor. It’s a fact. Pests travel through the hollows in walls. Or out in the halls. They come in with someone’s groceries. They wander, nest, breed. This is why most apartment blogs do have regularly scheduled exterminators and a good cleaning staff, but residents can never be free of roaches and other pests. You will also hear your neighbors. Because you will be closer to other people than you are in your own home, you may be constantly annoyed with the habits of your neighbors that you may have been unaware of in your own home. There is more...
It speak from experience. I grew up in a single family home on Long Island NY, as an adult I lived in several different apartments in NYC, now I live in my own house in NY and my own house in TV. The house is definitely more work but so worth it.

Another mis-informed opinion you are spouting. No one was insulted (or if they were, like you, they don't understand).The homes in the historic district ARE manufactured homes, as they are permantly set on a foundation and as such are legally called "real property". That was NOT the case when the Orange Blossom Gardens park was opened. To help educate you, OBG was the Original name of The Villages.

"Stuck with considerable portions of Florida land, in the early 1970s Schwartz and Tarrson began development of a mobile home park, Orange Blossom Gardens."

The Villages, Florida - Wikipedia

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Apts will destroy the reason why people naves to Villages this is not going to be any place different any more
My house will be on market tommorrow would not reccomend Living in Villages

Like you, I don’t like paying rent. There is certainly much to be said for owning a condo apartment, especially if it has a nice view. However, there are reasons to like renting, too. Some people only come to The Villages for a few months, or a few months at a time, and don’t want to have to deal with hiring people to take care of their place—which can easily be $500 a month, year round. Some people feel that their days are numbered, one way or another. If they fear they may need to go into an assisted living facility in a couple years, renting may be cheaper in some circumstances, and it may let people share the value of a major asset with children instead of watching it all go to a nursing home after a forced sale.

These apartments will probably be quite nice. But they aren’t cheap. The one bedroom apartments at The Lofts start at $1640 a month for 750 square feet. I don’t know if there are other fees that have to be paid. (WiFi, cable, covered parking space, amenities fee, electricity, etc.) Thus, the standard one bedroom apartment (various models combined, estimated) costs about what would you would pay monthly on a $350,000 loan these days. Most readers live in homes that cost much less than that but are closer to 1200 square feet. For what you would pay for a 1200 square foot two bedroom apartment—about the size of that courtyard home—you could buy a much larger home with a pool on a golf course, pay on a $350,000 mortgage, and pay all the fees and utilities and pool cleaning, and mowing and fertilizing and all that. Some people can afford that. Others can’t. The apartments would not be a budget choice. Certainly, they would be beyond the reach of most employees or anyone living only on Social Security checks. For some of us, that might be among the most attractive aspects of living there. Others might not like that.

This virus won’t last forever. I’m hoping that a year from now we won’t be worrying about what we might catch in the elevator. If money is an issue, though, you are probably better off where you are.

Of course, if, say, you have $200,000 to $300,000 in equity in your Villages home, you could sell, put the cash in your safe deposit box, and take out some every month to rent a one bedroom apartment with all expenses for about eight or ten years (wild guess) while having your entire Social Security check free for having fun. That might not be too bad if you are nearing 80. It’s much cheaper than an Assisted Living Center.

-LEASED residential and commercial property is the gift that keeps on giving with MONTHLY rents while selling a house is only a one time score.
-Not to mention, the development cost per apartment front door is a lot less than a stand alone single family front door.
-Additionally, more bedrooms (higher density) means more foot traffic, and more foot traffic means HIGHER monthly commercial rents.

Real estate development...........
It’s all about the Benjamins baby!