Adult Community Coming To Montville

Bob Gannon, owner of , started an approval process more than four years ago to erect an adult community at 29 Vreeland Avenue on what was once farmland. Now he is seeing his project come to fruition.

"I do real estate development in Montville and the surrounding communities," Gannon said. "I knew the farm here was up for sale at the time, so I talked with the owner and we agreed on a price and then we linked the two homes in the back into the project too."

Gannon said the project has moved along, despite it not being fully constructed yet.

"We have contracts for homes that are sold already and we're starting the foundations now," Gannon said. "People will start occupying in August. I have two (people moving in) in August, three or four in September and then after that, every month there will be people moving in. It's an 18-month project, so by next August it will be completed."

The project, developed under Holiday Montville, LLC, boasts 25 units, to own or to rent, 13 of which have been sold or are reserved. However, not just anyone can live there.

"It's a 55-and-over community. No children under 19. One of the occupants has to be over 55 and no children under 19; they can visit, they can stay but they can't live here," Gannon said.

Gannon said need was his biggest motivation for pursuing this project. He said many people have asked him over the years about such a community, and they want to stay in town but downsize from larger homes to something smaller.

"I think the majority of the people who are looking at these homes are people who are living in the area who have larger homes and have family in the area and they want to be near their homes but want to downsize," Bob Carroll, who is involved with the partnership, said.

There are four models to choose from in the development, Gannon said. The smallest is just under 1,600-square-feet in the first-floor living space and the largest is just under 1,900-square-feet on the first floor. "They all have full basements, and if I do a finished basement and a loft some of them are over 3,000-square-feet," he said.

"The uniqueness of the project is that it's single-family homes, so it's condominium-style living where there's going to be maintenance that's going to take care of the common areas," Carroll said. "You aren't going to have your own private backyard and lot lines, which is a lot different than regular condominium living."

All of the models are set up to be designed for single-floor living, although there are optional lofts and finished basements, so residents would not have to navigate stairs if they did not want to.

"It's going to be a very compact, but very neat, community where everyone is going to be together, but they're going to have their own private space," Carroll said.

Shelly Baron, a current Montville resident who will be moving in to the development at the end of October, thinks it will be a great place to live.

"Right now, I'm in a townhouse and I wanted to get out," she said. "I think it's great. I think it's just perfect for someone who doesn't have any children; you have a backyard, you have a garage, you're not connected to other house. It's perfect."

Gannon will be holding open houses at the one finished residence every Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.