Once the building they plan to call home for their golden years is finished later this year, residents of a Maple Grove senior citizen cooperative won’t have far to venture outside their front doors to find something fun to explore.
Across the street from the Applewood Pointe of Maple Grove at Arbor Lakes, 8250 Kirkwood Lane N., is Central Park, with its bucolic pond, garden, labyrinth, great lawn and a nearly mile-long trail connecting to another 55 miles of city paths. Head west, and there’s the Maple Grove Community Center or Life Time Fitness. The library, the Town Creek band shell and the many shopping and dining possibilities in the Arbor Lakes retail area are northeast. “It’s our most walkable community we have ever developed,” says Teri Cowger, sales manager with Applewood Pointe Cooperative Communities for the Arbor Lakes project.
Cowger says the location of the four-story, 102-unit co-op, which began construction last September, is proving popular among people age 62 and over. Floor plans for the one-level, two-bedroom, two-bathroom dwellings range in size from 1,300 to 1,828 square feet. The location is Applewood Pointe’s 15th cooperative community in the Twin Cities, and according to Cowger, its most successful. “By that, we mean the earliest amount of interest in people who commit and purchase homes,” she says.
It’s the second community in Maple Grove (6222 Quinwood Lane N.) for Applewood Pointe, the residential division of Minneapolis-based United Properties. Other locations include Roseville, Minnetonka and Champlin.
Cowger says the building’s spot in Maple Grove’s bustling epicenter has a different appeal than some of the original Applewood communities situated among a large demographic of seniors.
“[Those residents] were going from their homes of 40 to 50 years within a 3-to-4-mile radius and moving into an Applewood Pointe,” she says. With this site, Cowger adds, many seniors are coming from suburbs, such as Golden Valley and Long Lake or from other states to live closer to their adult children already residing in the fast-growing Maple Grove.
“As times change, we have people wanting to participate more in their children’s and grandchildren’s daily lives,” Cowger says. “I have people moving from Woodbury because they want to go to their grandchild’s soccer game without rush hour traffic. Instead of focusing on wanting to live close to their existing doctor or church, they’re moving to be part of the family.”
More Than a Home
Cowger says Applewood Pointe provides more than just a home for seniors. “You’re buying a lifestyle and a community, and the home is part of it,” she says.
Once living side-by-side, opportunities abound to make friends and stay busy. Amenities include a fitness center, library, great room for parties, club room with a full kitchen and bar (Applewood does not provide meal services), craft room, woodworking shop, underground parking, car wash bay and two guest suites for visitors.
Because they own a share in the co-op building, residents can shape its future by serving on a variety of committees.
“It gives them a sense of purpose,” Cowger says. “You’re still able to contribute all your life experiences.”
Cowger is passionate about helping seniors move into this new phase of their lives. She admits the decision can be difficult.
“You don’t want to give up your independence, but you know you should,” she says. “And when you do, you’re like, ‘Why didn’t I do it sooner?’”
Applewood Pointe
Facebook: Applewood Pointe Cooperative Communities
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