When Jon Colcord stopped fertilizing his lawn so that it wouldn't grow too rapidly, his wife Gail knew that a lower maintenance home was in the cards.

The couple had spent 29 years in their Stone Mountain four-bedroom split-level, but with their children living in Alpharetta and Cobb County, the Colcords decided to move closer to family. In November 2006, the couple settled in a three-bedroom, two-bath ranch-style home in a Duluth active-adult community and were able to purchase the condo with the money from their Stone Mountain sale.

Louie Favorite / AJC (ENLARGE)

Gail and Jon Colcord work out in the community clubhouse at Brookhaven at Sugarloaf.

Louie Favorite / AJC (ENLARGE)

Art Chase moved to Parc at Buckhead from Duluth.

RELATED LINKS • Photos: Meet the Colcords, Art Chase • Previous Private Quarters • Get more Active Adult features

"We loved our house, but it was time. We wanted to be closer to where the action was," said Gail, 70. (Jon is 73.) "(And) we needed to be where outside maintenance was done for us."

They chose Brookhaven at Sugarloaf for a number of reasons, Gail explained — its proximity to family and I-85 for traveling ease, the closeness of the clubhouse and exercise room to their new home, and the wide range of activities and events within the community.

Now the couple is on the activities committee, eager to help develop a bond among residents.

"We're really interested in seeing this gel as more people move in," Gail said.

The Colcords represent the 49 percent of metro Atlanta 55+ adults interested in downsizing, and are also among the 43 percent who move to be closer to family, according to a 2006 survey by the Atlanta Regional Commission and the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute. The National Association of Home Builders reports that adults 55 and over account for 18 percent of the home buying market.

Gail said while she and her husband still have home-ownership duties, like cleaning and cooking, Brookhaven at Sugarloaf provides a lower maintenance lifestyle. She sold and gave away some of her furniture before moving to Duluth, she said, and paid homage to her old life by planting hostas outside her home. The transition to a 55+ community was largely painless, she said, though noting the absence of children's voices.

"I had some moments, like in the spring when all the hostas I had planted were coming up," she said. "But the newness of what was coming down the road was so appealing that those were fleeting moments ... all in all, it's what we were expecting."

'I feel more alive here'

Art Chase once lived the suburban active adult life, too, but decided last year to shed the slower pace of life in favor of urban high-rise living.

"I spent two years in the country and wanted to get to the city," he said of his move from Parc at Duluth to Parc at Buckhead, a luxury independent living building on Phipps Boulevard. "I have tested both, and I feel more alive here. Everything is in reach."

Chase, 85, is a city boy at heart. He grew up in San Francisco and has lived in Japan, Hong Kong, and Hawaii. He decided to live in an active adult community following his wife's death nearly seven years ago while living in California. When his daughter moved to Duluth two years ago, Chase followed. After renting a two-bedroom unit in Duluth, he moved into a one-bedroom rental in Buckhead following the Parc's opening last December.

"It was a bigger move than going to Hong Kong," he joked.

He's shed furniture throughout his moves, he explained, and now prefers living in a smaller apartment on the 19th floor. From his luxury digs, he can see Stone Mountain in the distance. But upclose, Chase wants to be in the mix of things.

"Duluth was lovely, but I like the idea of walking out the door and ending up at Phipps Plaza (for sushi)," he said.

And between the movies, lectures, parties and other activities offered at Parc, he's found "it's almost more than you can handle."

His rent covers his meals, transport and cleaning services; a concierge takes care of his booking, and a Lincoln Continental whisks him to wherever he desires at a moment's notice.

"People talk about wanting independence — you have more independence in a place like this than if you lived in your residence," he said. "This is kind of a unique place. It's quite upscale and the food is remarkably good."

The bachelor also has noticed a perk not on the menu.

"They worry if we're happy in our declining years," he chuckled. "I don't quite feel declined, but I like the attention."