Are you a boomer looking to downsize? McGrath luxe residences in Levittown could be for you
Bristol Township will get a housing development for 55-and-older residents on 20 acres in the heart of Levittown.
The Villas at Brookwood will be on land formerly occupied by the John Fitch Elementary School, where the Stonybrook, Greenbrook and Farmbrook sections converge. Construction is set to begin this summer, to be complete probably in two years.
"Levittown is full of boomers, so this really caters to them," said Chris Levins, a partner with John McGrath of McGrath Homes.
How many homes are planned for Villas at Brookwood?
McGrath intends to offer a mix of three styles: apartments, flats and quads.
Three apartment buildings will have 24 units each, with a choice of either one- or two-bedroom units. Flats will be condos with a choice of first-floor or second-floor units and two to three bedrooms. Some 64 quads, McGrath's signature home, are four units beneath one roof, similar to his developments at Shadybrook in Lower Makefield. Floor plans vary, and sizes range between 1,200 and 2,000 square feet.
There will be nine-foot ceilings and center island kitchens and the usual bells and whistles that come with new construction. Almost 200 residences are planned for the site.
Amenities for 'resort-style' living
McGrath specializes in "age-qualified, resort-style communities" such as the Villas at Flowers Mill in Langhorne and the Villas and Residences at St. Joseph's in Falls, the latter on the site of the former St. Joseph the Worker parish. This means there will be a Homeowner's Association (monthly fees not available at this time) that will take care of mowing grass, landscaping and removing snow.
The community clubhouse is the centerpiece of the development, and will have special appeal to baby boomers who enjoy socializing face-to-face with neighbors, rather than screen-gazing alone on laptops or smartphones. The clubhouse will have a "Gathering Room" for meet-and-greets, a caterer's kitchen for community or family events, a health and fitness center, bocce ball court, a lounge with large screen TV for watching sports with friends, a room for business meetings, a covered patio and, for Levittown boomers who remember the old days, an outdoor swimming pool.
Wow $6 million house in Newtown Township
Look inside Levittown's mystery mansion may have buyer. Take a look inside the Lower Orchard home
Pricing and taxes at the Villas
The apartments, aimed for older residents, will likely be priced in the "high one-thousands" Levin said, which means a monthly rent of around $2,000. The flats and quads will likely be priced at what a Levittown house in the neighborhood averages, which is the high $200,000s to the upper $300,000s, depending on the market.
"The Levittown market is north of $300,000, so these are good prices," Levin said.
Taxes per unit will vary, but will like be in the $8,000 per year range, not including HOA fees, which can add hundreds of dollars a month to the household budget.
The Villas at Brookwood is one of two age-restricted communities McGrath is building on sites formerly occupied by neighborhood schools in the Bristol Township School District. A second development is planned for the old Abraham Lincoln school site in Levittown.
JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Levittown getting new houses for boomers seeking to downsize
