Building more than just homes

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Photos by Christopher Oquendo / Special

A model of Peachtree Hills Place, which is expected to open to its first residents, or ‘members,’ in summer 2010, shows the layout of the community for people ages 55 and older located at Peachtree Hills Avenue and Virginia Place in Atlanta. Those amenities include four restaurants with food services provided by Paul’s Restaurant.

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Jim Vidal (from left), Betsy Hansen, Betty Vidal, Dennis Love, Gay Love and Harald Hansen talk during a monthly gathering of future residents and potential residents of Peachtree Hills Place.

Parties, committees and communication

Kevin Isakson, managing partner for Peachtree Hills Place, says it will be summer 2010 before the first residents can move into his new Atlanta community. The project is designed for people ages 55 and older seeking to live a secure, independent lifestyle with easy access to a continuum of health care.

New residents are referred to as “members,” and Isakson says a lot of thought has gone into how to keep those members involved in the community while they wait to move in.

The community sits on more than 23 acres at Peachtree Hills Avenue and Virginia Place. Across the street and next door to the information center is Paul’s Restaurant. Chef Paul Albrecht is partnering with Peachtree Hills Place to provide the food service for the community’s four restaurants.

Each month, the community hosts a cocktail party for members, followed by dinner at Paul’s. Isakson says about 40 people come each month to socialize and learn more about the development’s progress.

During the dinners, Albrecht features menu items he’s considering for the community’s restaurants, and members have the chance to provide their input. Peachtree Hills Place also organized six committees to meet regularly with the managers and team members to provide input in areas such as finance, buildings and grounds, food and beverage, and social activities. And there are trips organized for members to places such as New York City, where Faye Gold led a special tour through private and public art galleries.

“We want our members to be able to take advantage of all these opportunities since they buy their homes so far in advance. Their participation helps ensure we’re developing a community that meets their needs,” Isakson said. “When we open is contingent on reselling 65 percent of our homes as required by our lenders. We could have homes available to move in as early as spring 2010.”

Feeling connected

Betsy and Harald Hansen appreciate the opportunity they’ve found with Peachtree Hills Place to build a community. “The neighborhood reminds me of where I grew up — people on porches, people on the street pushing babies, kids playing in the front yards. It was a community where people cared about each other, and I see that in Peachtree Hills Place,” Betsy Hansen said.

Their new home: The Hansens will be selling their Buckhead home to move into a two-bedroom, two-bath unit. “We’re getting rid of the responsibility of so much land and garden,” Harald Hansen said. “The kitchen is nice, although we may not be using it much since the four restaurants will be a tremendous draw to eat elsewhere.” Betsy Hansen added. “The rooms are designed so the kitchen, living and dining rooms flow together, giving you a very spacious feeling.”

The parties: “We learn about the progress being made and that’s so helpful. One thing that’s been important to me is that we can take our friends and family and show them where we’re going to be living. There are about 40 or 50 of us each time, and Harald and I have become regulars,” Betsy Hansen said.

Choosing to live there: “It’s tough to give up what’s so familiar to move to a very different home, but I think the events that have been put together to let us get to know each other as a community have made it less frightening,” Betsy Hansen said. “We both had parents who needed care in their later years, and those are tough decisions to make. We were particularly interested in not having our children bear that responsibility, so we were fortunate to find a place we like so much.”

Being “ambassadors”: The Hansens serve on the Ambassador Committee, where residents plan how to interact with the long-standing neighborhood around them. “One possibility would be to have something like a fair or to bring in children to read to them. We’re not sure what we’ll do, but we feel a responsibility to do a good job of connecting to our neighbors,” Betsy Hansen said.

Communication is key: “The communication between Peachtree Hills Place and the members has been extraordinary. They’ve kept us informed every step of the way,” Harald Hansen said, “and that hasn’t always been an easy thing to do. We’d like to believe that we know as much about Peachtree Hills Place as the developer knows, and we like that a lot.”

Peachtree Hills Place

Address: Sales center — 12 Kings Circle, Atlanta

County: Fulton

Information: 404-467-4900; Peachtree Hills Place

Price range: Entrance fees of $599,000 to over $1 million. Members also pay a monthly fee ranging from $3,115 to $6,765.

Year built: To begin in 2009

Standard features: 10-foot ceilings, crown molding, hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, emergency call system, motion detectors; step-free, one-level homes with wide passage space in interior hallways

Amenities: Four dining venues; 58,000-square-foot clubhouse; 15,000-square-foot fitness center; spa; assisted living and skilled nursing, including dementia care; greenhouse; raised gardening plots; seven natural and landscaped parks; on-site physician, concierge and valet; property maintenance; maid service; linen and laundry services

Number of homes: 266 luxury, villa-style residences in low- to mid-rise buildings and eight single-family homes; 36 skilled nursing and memory care suites

Square footage: 1,423-3,100 square feet

Broker: Isakson-Barnhart Co., LLC

Builder: Hardin Construction Co., LLC