Active Adults Soon to Have Choices

DALLAS—Active adults have not been adequately represented with viable housing options, say developers in the sector. That is about to change with two North Texas projects, Lakes at Legacy in Prosper and ArrowBrooke in Aubrey, underway later this year and next year. Both projects are located within larger master-planned communities.

“The active adult cohort is the most underserved new-home buyer in DFW. Households 55 and over comprise 41.7% of our market, while only 15.5% of new home sales are to active adults. The lack of new home sales is a supply problem rather than lack of demand,” said Paige Shipp, regional director for Metrostudy. “Unfortunately, builders have not addressed this market with new lifestyle-appropriate homes and communities. Many of our older residents have been forced to either remodel their current home to allow them to age in place or buy a resale home. Nathan Carlisle is addressing the needs of this underserved cohort with quality new homes designed expressly for the 55-plus new home buyers.”

Texas-based Nathan Carlisle Homes’ latest developments follow the success of its first two communities in Craig Ranch and Savannah, and substantially expand the company’s footprint in the region’s rapidly growing 55-plus market. Pre-sales at Lakes of Legacy will begin in late summer 2018 and model homes will begin construction in mid-September. Pre-sales at ArrowBrooke will begin in early 2019 and model homes will be available late in the first quarter of 2019.

“Lakes at Legacy and ArrowBrooke are located in two of the fastest-growing areas of North Texas and both offer easy access to all that makes this an outstanding place to live with vibrant employment, dining and recreation centers, and leading medical facilities,” said Richard Dix, CEO. “Our experience in this region with two already very successful active adult communities will enable Lakes at Legacy and ArrowBrooke to stand out next to competing properties.”

Lakes at Legacy is located north of Highway 380, 2 miles west of the 380/Dallas North Tollway intersection. The only active adult community in Prosper, it will include 345 single-family homes, with prices from the $300,000s to $600,000s.

Home sizes range from 1,600 square feet to nearly 4,000 square feet in 16 floorplans and feature three different lot widths: 55, 65 and 75 feet. Two design firms, BSB Design and Housing Design Matters, are providing designs for both projects.

Lakes at Legacy will include a multi-million dollar community center that features more than 5,000 square feet of gathering and entertaining space, workout facilities, and a swimming pool. Most prominently, the development will include a 6.5-acre lake surrounded by miles of walking and bike trails.

“The lake is a major undertaking for this type of project, but amenities such as this are what make Nathan Carlisle communities special,” said Dix. “When finished, the development team will have excavated more than 175,000 cubic yards of soil to create the lake, making it a spectacular central feature of the community and a place that draws residents outside to interact and enjoy life together.”

GlobeSt.com learns that the low point of the lake is 17 feet below the surface. It took approximately five months to excavate and prepare the lake for proper drainage and to accept water. At capacity, the lake holds about 12.5 million gallons of water.

Once the digging and prep work for the lake was complete, heavy rains started and completely filled the lake; no pumped-in water was needed. The well stores additional rainwater that can be used to fill the lake if there is an extended dry period and irrigate the grassy area surrounding the lake, making it a very green solution.

The lake will feature a large fountain in the middle to help circulate water so it never gets stagnant.

A concrete walking path will circle the lake, which is in a large T shape. When completed, there will be more than a 1-mile path around the lake.

“The impetus of the lake was to ensure that the neighborhood had a central, iconic feature around which residents could gather, visit and build a true community,” Dix tells GlobeSt.com. “It also serves a purpose by creating a lovely spot around which to place walking/bike paths that will get people out of their homes and exercising. Finally, it is an indicator of how Nathan Carlisle goes above and beyond in their communities to distinguish them from ‘production built’ types of product out there.”

ArrowBrooke is located in Aubrey, just north of Savannah, where Nathan Carlisle built its first active adult community. Located two miles north of Highway 380 midway between Denton and McKinney, ArrowBrooke will include more than 200 homes priced from the $200,000s to the mid $300,000s. Home sizes will range from 1,600 to 2,650 square feet and include standard 50-foot wide lots.

ArrowBrooke will feature distinct elevations from those at Lakes of Legacy. It will also feature a custom-designed amenity center with a swimming pool and multiple entertaining spaces. Miles of walking and bike trails will wind throughout ArrowBrooke, providing access to the community’s catch-and-release fishing pond.