Del Webb Providence Retirement Community is First of its Kind in Tennessee
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Providence‚ Mt. Juliet’s new master-planned community‚ is generating noise in more ways than one.
As builders scramble to complete some 3‚000 new homes in the devel opment‚ phones are ringing off the hook at the sales office for Lake Providence‚ a 344-acre neighborhood within Providence for adults age 55 and over.
Lake Providence is no retirement home. It’s Middle Tennessee’s first development from Del Webb‚ a pioneer in resort-style living for active adults.
Kenneth Martin‚ director of economic and community development for Mt. Juliet‚ has fielded scores of calls about Lake Providence since word got out that Del Webb was building there.
“They’ve been calling to find out when we’re getting our Del Webb‚” Martin says.
Apparently‚ not quickly enough. Almost immediately‚ 3‚000 people joined an interest list for the 1‚069 homes that began selling in October 2006.
When completed‚ Lake Providence will be set off by a gated water fall entrance leading to 871 single-family homes and 198 attached villas‚ rang ing from 1‚148 to more than 3‚000 square feet.
The grounds feature a 15-acre stocked lake‚ outdoor amphitheater and 100 acres of green space‚ as well as a 23‚000-square-foot amenities center with indoor and outdoor pools‚ tennis courts‚ walking track and fitness center‚ ballroom‚ computer facilities‚ and game and craft rooms. A full-time lifestyle director will arrange classes or organize clubs‚ based on community interest.
“Del Webb is all about the lifestyle‚ the social aspect. Everyone is active in the community‚” says Daniel Watson‚ marketing coordinator for Pulte Homes‚ which owns Del Webb.
Trails and roads lead to Providence MarketPlace‚ the new shopping center featuring a wide range of retail stores‚ restaurants and movie theaters.
“You can do all your shopping and go home without passing through one traffic light‚” Martin says.
Del Webb commands about 20 percent of the market for this type of adult living community.
Its first Sun City retirement com munity was built in 1960; the neighborhoods now dot the country‚ boasting golf courses and about 3‚000 housing units.
Del Webb-branded communities are smaller‚ typically averaging about 1‚000 homes‚ and are rapidly springing up around metropolitan areas such as Atlanta‚ Raleigh and Charlotte‚ N.C.‚ and Washington‚ D.C. About 25 new Del Webb communities are being built each year‚ keeping pace with the entry of baby boomers into the senior market‚ Watson says.
“As the housing market cools off‚ the active adult market continues to grow‚” he says.
According to Watson‚ reams of market research point to Middle Tennessee as a hot spot for active retiring boomers due to its rapid growth‚ lack of state income tax and central location of Nashville‚ which is within 600 miles of more than 70 percent of the U.S. population.
From Providence Lake‚ Nashville International Airport and other big-city amenities such as world-class health care‚ are just a short drive away‚ as are dozens of golf courses and Old Hickory and J. Percy Priest lakes.
“Baby boomers are a little different than previous generations‚” Watson explains. “They don’t want to move to Arizona or Florida. They want to stay close to their homes‚ their churches‚ their grandkids – the metropolitan areas where they grew up.”
Story by Jeanne A. Naujeck
