ATHENS — On a sweltering summer morning, retirees Jim and Dona Stanton meet future neighbors under a tent providing shade on the edge of 62 wooded acres.
A few yards away, crews are set to break ground for what will become Celebration Village Athens — a high-end senior living community with hundreds of residential units and a spa, pickleball courts, walking paths and gardens wrapped around a small lake.
The couple, who often commute an hour to Athens for doctor visits and dinner with their son, plan to make it their home after living three decades at Reynolds Plantation in Lake Oconee.
“We’ve got several people in our neighborhood coming to live up here,” says Jim, 83. Dona, 79, calls it a “mini-Reynolds.”
Credit: Fletcher Page
Credit: Fletcher Page
Celebration Village is one of at least half a dozen senior-focused housing developments springing up along the Athens-Clarke and Oconee county line in this fast-growing corner of northeast Georgia.
The developments could turn the area’s demographics on its head. Clarke County, home to Athens and the University of Georgia, is one of only seven U.S. counties with more than 100,000 residents and a median age under 30. Oconee County’s less heavily populated suburbs are filled with young families drawn to some of the most highly rated schools in the state.
By 2030, at least 18% of Georgia’s population will be 65 or older, up from 9% in 2000, according to the Governor’s Office of Planning. The numbers point to a powerful shift in housing demand — one Athens-area developers are chasing to catch up with.
Developers also are making big bets there is plenty to attract retirees here beyond the powerful magnet of children, grandchildren and SEC football.
Clarke offers two hospitals, a wide range of medical specialists and the cultural energy of UGA. Oconee boasts the suburban conveniences of big-box retail, green space, parks and restaurants.
Presbyterian Homes of Georgia had long eyed the area, but feasibility studies decades ago focusing on age and income didn’t make Athens look like a sure bet. Eventually, CEO Alex Patterson said, they expanded their search radius to include retirees willing to relocate if given the right option.
The result was Presbyterian Village Athens, which opened in 2021 near the Clarke-Oconee county line. The community now houses nearly 400 residents and employs about 200 staff.
“There’s not many towns in Georgia that have as much of a draw as Athens does,” Patterson said. He added: “It’s close enough to Atlanta, but not right in Atlanta, that they can easily make a day trip.”
Celebration Village Athens, part of Suwanee-based Active Senior Concepts, is expected to have 377 units ready by next summer, offering independent living, assisted living and memory care.
A few miles away, The Grove recently opened 27 independent living cottages ranging from 1,300 to 1,900 square feet in Oconee County. All but two were leased before construction wrapped, said CEO Jennifer Flowers, adding another 50 are planned along with 48 assisted living units.
Affordability is a looming challenge, with most Athens-area developers courting well-off seniors. Rental units at places like The Grove can cost $5,000 or more a month, not including an initial entry fee, which can range widely.
“I get 10 phone calls a week, and eight of them are out of budget,” Flowers said. “In five to 10 years, there’s going to be a shortage if we don’t get some help from the state for affordable senior care.”
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Affordable senior living apartments are being constructed in the Oconee County seat of Watkinsville. Waters Walk will have 60 residential units with roughly 100 bedrooms, with 80% of units priced between $800 and $1,200 per month.
“A lot of seniors are on fixed incomes,” Watkinsville Mayor Pro Tem Christine Tucker said. “With inflation and prices going up, having an option for them to be in a lovely space with the community we have was really important to give people options.”
For financially comfortable retirees, though, there are more options.
Bill and Debbie Ross moved from West Virginia to Oconee County in the 1970s. They purchased property adjacent to what became the bypass near State Route 316, which links Atlanta to Athens. What used to be a rural area is now filled with Home Depot and Lowes, Walmart and Costco, Chick-fil-A and coffee shops.
Celebration Village, which has locations across the state, including Peachtree City, Snellville and Forsyth, approached the Rosses about buying their still-undeveloped land. Debbie said talks transformed into much more than a transaction after they saw the plan. They intend to become tenants.
“We knew that’s where we wanted to retire,” she said. “I’ve never had butterflies in my stomach. It just felt like the right thing to do.”
Bill, 71, calls Athens and Oconee the “best of both worlds.” The Rosses, now grandparents to six, have season tickets for UGA basketball games and a strong sense of pride for Oconee County. But after caring for their own parents, they wanted to spare their kids the same responsibility.
Continuum of care — a term often used in senior living industry — also appealed to the Stantons. Both couples plan to move into Celebration Village as independent-living residents, with the option to transition to assisted living or memory care as needed.
“I feel like we’re pretty realistic — we know one of us will end up going eventually,” Debbie Ross, 72, said. “We wanted to get established in a community where we could make friends and keep them as long as possible.”
Dona Stanton is already imagining a backyard for their dog. Jim’s thinking about new golf courses.
“We have a good time everywhere we go,” Jim said. “And we’re looking forward to being up here.”
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