Fortress-like villages lose appeal among retirees
Retirees no longer want to live behind fences in gated communities.
Metlifecare has embarked on an ambitious development transforming a golf course on the Hibiscus Coast near Auckland into a retirement village.
But unlike the NZX-listed company’s previous villages, this one won’t be ringed with tall metal fences.
‘‘Historically, retirement villages would be what Americans would call ‘gated communities’, where there is one way in, and one way out,’’ Metlifecare chief executive Glen Sowry said.
‘‘All the research we have done is that security and safety remain critical and near the top of the list of wants and needs of residents.’’
But, Sowry said, the oldest cohort of the baby boomers, who are arriving at the age when they are starting to contemplate the move into a village, do not want to live gated away from the world.
‘‘They still want to feel relevant and connected to the community, not shut away behind a wall, out of sight, out of mind.’’
He continued: ‘‘The oldest baby boomer today is 72 years of age . . .
The aspirations, expectations and the lifestyles of the baby boomers is quite different from their parents, who have been the retirement village customer of the last decade or two.’’
The Gulf Rise development, which will see the first resident move in next year, will have no gates. Instead, the community has been designed to have open borders with the surrounding community.
The absence of fences did not mean an absence of security. The idea of Gulf Rise is that security comes from good design.
Sowry said the site had a limited number of entry and exit points, which would be monitored by security cameras.
It was also designed around ‘‘lines of sight’’, which means roads, pathways and communal areas are overseen by the windows of multiple dwellings.
Even though the Gulf Rise community would not be fenced, the development’s layout meant some communal areas would be the natural place for the community and the outside world to connect, while some would remain the more private domain of residents and their families.
A cafe and restaurant venue is planned for the edge of the village, which Sowry said would be the interface between the public realm and the residential space.
Part of the opening up of retirement villages appears to be driven by the improving health of older people. People were staying fitter for longer, and there was an increased focus on mental and spiritual wellbeing, Sowry said.
The business model for retirement villages is to sell occupation rights to residents, who first sell their homes.
The prices have historically tended to be pitched at a discount to house prices in the local area, leaving people with enough money to top up their New Zealand Superannuation payments, and pay the monthly fee that funds things such as insurance, council rates, and village maintenance.
When they leave the village, they, or their estate, get back a minimum of 70 per cent of the sum paid for the occupation right agreement (ORA), though they may have to wait for it, as it is only paid when a new ORA for the property is sold.
The prices at Gulf Rise range from $650,000 for a one-bedroom unit, to about $1.2 million for a high-end apartment.