With the continued population boom, three new age 55 and older active senior communities have broken ground or opened in the Tomball and Magnolia areas in the past year.
“There are seniors coming to retire because it puts them in close proximity to other family members, but also the population will continue to extend in age by promoting the health of older adults,” said Daphine Sands, senior staff analyst for the Harris County Area Agency on Aging.
Early U.S. Census Bureau projections show an increasing demand for senior care over the next five years in the Greater Houston area, Sands said.
Del Webb The Woodlands
The 200-acre, 550-home community is slated to open in early 2016 for sales, and prices are expected to begin in the high $200,000s with sizes ranging from 1,700 square feet to 2,600 square feet, Del Webb spokeswoman Jacque Petroulakis said.
“The active adult market represents one of the fastest-growing segments of the housing industry,” Petroulakis said. “With many baby boomers still working in some capacity, location is increasingly important when looking for their next home.”
Bonterra
Master-planned community Woodforest is constructing a new 55-plus active senior living component called Bonterra, Senior Sales Associate Ashlee Vidrine said.
The community is slated to offer 700 homes at build-out in three to five years. Bonterra opened a portion of the 94 homes in Phase 1 in December, which now house 22 residents, Vidrine said.
The homes range from $229,000 to $400,000 with lot sizes of 45 feet, 52 feet and 62 feet wide with nine different floor plans to choose from, she said.
“The baby boomers are wanting to maximize [opportunities] from The Woodlands growth and development,” Vidrine said.
Belle Vintage Park
Since opening in spring 2014, Belle Vintage Park in Tomball is 100 percent occupied with 120 one- and two-bedroom units, Leasing Agent Priscilla Warford said. The units range from one bedroom of 624 square feet at $925 per month to the largest two-bedroom units of 1,228 square feet for $1,725 per month, she said.
“I do feel like there is a large demand for [senior housing], regardless of the area,” Warford said. “I know a lot of people, as they get older, want their loved ones to have that independent feeling.”