Move close to Atlanta surprising

Jim and Lois Griffin moved from Athens to Park Springs, a continuing care retirement community next to Stone Mountain Park, because of its medical amenities and activities. Jim, 83, chatted about their home in Park Springs.

Q: Why did you want to move to the Atlanta area?

A: We had not intended to move toward the Atlanta area. We have been looking for a continuing care facility for probably four to five years. I got stuff from Park Springs almost at the time since they started construction. I said, “There’s no way I’m going to move to Atlanta.” Lois went to a luncheon in Athens (about Park Springs). I was playing golf. She said, “We need to go look at Park Springs.” I said, “Why? That’s Atlanta.” She said, “I think that you will find out that it’s got everything that we could possibly need, and one of the big things that they have is a clinic.”

Q: What did you think when you visited the community?

A: It was everything that they said it was and more. One of the things that was very enticing to us was the clinic. They could be your primary doctor. And we said, “Well, that sounds better and better.” It just went from there – we went ahead and signed up with Park Springs in November of last year.

Q: Were you able to sell your home before you moved in?

A: We actually had an acceptable offer somewhere between nine and 10 weeks from the time we put our house on the market.

Q: What did you do to downsize?

A: We had garage sales to get rid of some stuff. I even sold a car during the garage sale.

Q: What features of the home appealed to you?

A: It actually has more closet space than the house that we had because there’s two very large walk-in closets and then a linen closet, a coat closet, and storage facilities in the garage. We look out into Stone Mountain Park. In the wintertime, when there’s not any leaves, I can see more of the golf course and the big lake down there, so I’ve got a nice view.

Q: What type of activities do you do regularly?

A: I play golf. There’s a special Stone Mountain gate that you can go through and you’re right there at the driving range and clubhouse. There’s a group that plays over there every Tuesday. On Thursday, there’s a bunch of us that get together and we go over to Mystery Valley Golf Club (in Lithonia). I’m not a bridge player, but they’ve been trying to recruit me to play bridge. There’s all types of activities. My wife has never done tai chi and they have a low-impact tai chi class. They have ballroom dancing, and she’s always wanted to learn to ballroom dance.

At a glance

Jim and Lois Griffin’s home in Park Springs has two bedrooms, 2 ½ baths and about 1,670 square feet of livable space.

Park Springs

Address: 500 Springhouse Circle, Stone Mountain 30087 (sales center)

County: DeKalb

Information: 1-800-914-9012, www.parkspringscommunities.com

Price range: $140,000-$510,000

Homes: 398 homes, cottages and villas

Square footage: 695-2,538

Amenities: Health center with assisted living, skilled nursing and dementia/Alzheimer’s care; 50,000-square-foot clubhouse serving meals in four dining rooms; 12,000-square-foot fitness center with an indoor pool

Homeowners fees: Monthly service fees range from $1,713-$3,229 a month, with an additional $992 for a second person. Fees cover most utilities, taxes and insurance as well as a dining credit and access to amenities and services such as bi-weekly housekeeping, lawn care and home maintenance.

Developer: Isakson Living

Builder: Fortune and Johnson (golfview villas)

Getting there

Take I-285 east to Exit 39B (U.S. 78 East/Stone Mountain Freeway East). Travel 8 miles on U.S. 78 East to Exit 9 (West Park Place Boulevard). Turn right onto West Park Place. Drive past the SuperTarget to the next traffic light and turn right onto Bermuda Road. Travel a half mile to the Park Springs Gate House.

Recent sales

$508,100: 1432 Parkview Blvd., Stone Mountain 30087. A two-bedroom, 2 ½-bath home with a study.

$158,100: 1302 Springhouse Circle, Stone Mountain 30087. A one-bedroom, one-bath home with a screened porch.

For sale