Jeff Thomas envisioned a community where like-minded seniors could live together, stay healthy and keep active, and in a few weeks, he will unveil that community.
Thomas, a developer who began his career in roofing, is preparing for the grand opening of Brandle Meadows, a retirement community located less than a mile off of Route 146 in Guilderland.
`This is going to be an active adult community,` Thomas said. `We packed this place with as many amenities as possible.`
Phase one will be complete in the next few weeks, and phase two and three will begin immediately after. Thomas said all three phases should be complete within the next 12 months.
`In the next month you’re really going to see this place take shape,` Thomas said.
There is going to be an open house for potential residents on Saturday, Aug. 2, and the grand opening will follow with the completion of first phase.
Donald Cropsey, chief building inspector for Guilderland said the buildings are almost ready to be occupied, but some more final inspections need to be made.
He said six of nine residential buildings, as well as the community center and some garages, have already been inspected. Three more residential buildings need permits in addition to several driveways, he said.
Thomas said the community is going to provide local seniors with affordable, maintenance-free living.
Featured at the development are a putting green, pool, walking paths, pond and a community center that features a fitness room with a plasma-screen television.
There is also going to be a community garden where residents can go to plant their own fruits and vegetables. Thomas said that the garden will provide many of the retired farmers in the area with the opportunity to keep a small part of their past livelihood.
`The planning of the development was done with a focus group of seniors for seniors,` Thomas said.
All of the condominiums are one floor, half on the ground level and half located upstairs.
Thomas said some seniors actually prefer to live on the second floor because going up the flight of stairs provides on opportunity to exercise. Some also feel it is a little safer, he said.
Each of the 72 units, resting on a 15-acre plot, has two bedrooms, and range in four different sizes.
The smallest units are 1,350 square feet.
The condos can be purchased starting at $199,000, in addition to a small
homeowners fee that Thomas predicts will be close to $143.00 per month.
`We are able to keep the homeowners fees real low,` Thomas said.
He said the community center is not oversized but large enough to accommodate everyone. This helps keep the monthly fees down.
Many developments similar to Brandle Meadows charge close to $150,000 just to rent, Thomas said. Brandle Meadows not only serves as a residence, but also an investment.
Thomas said they just began selling the units and some buildings are already sold out. He said, though, there are still units available in each of the four sizes.
Thomas started planning the development five years ago, and would have completed the project sooner, if not for several obstacles.
`There’s certain aspects that have added to the construction costs, one of them being petroleum,` Thomas said.
He said his investment into the project was `more than I wanted it to be.`
Thomas followed some personal guidelines when planning the development. He said he asked himself and the designers, `What would you want where your grandparents live to look like?`
The aesthetics and view are important aspects of the development, he added.
`We have intense landscaping.`
He also said he wanted to keep the architecture of the development consistent with the Victorian architecture in the rest of the Altamont area.
Thomas said seniors in the Guilderland and Altamont area expressed interest in a community where they can stay active, and those seniors were his primary motivation for developing the land.
`This is the first development of its kind in the area,` he said. “