Big Flats retirement community plans addition of 24 cottages for seniors ready to downsize

Retirement Estates off Sing Sing Road in the Town of Big Flats has a motto, "The Lifestyle You Deserve," and now the community is planning to make that statement even more inclusive.

Retirement Estates, a 52-acre campus with 149 owner-occupied manufactured homes for residents 55 and up, plans to add 24 cottages that are 780 square feet — about half the size of the existing homes — and will be available to rent.

The idea is to provide an alternative for residents who no longer need or can maintain the space available in the existing homes, but don't want to move in with family or into an institutional environment.

"As people age, they sometimes go to assisted living," said Retirement Estates Sales Manager Ray Cobb. "If we can cut down on the size of space to take care of, and cut maintenance costs, we can help them stay here longer. That's where we came up with the cottage idea."

A community tailored for older residents

Retirement Estates was founded in the 1990s and purchased by new owners in 2003. Residents own their homes but lease the land the houses sit on, according to the community's website.

There is a high demand for space in the retirement community, Cobb said, and homes that go up for sale don't stay on the market long.

Once the new cottages are ready to occupy, existing Retirement Estates residents will get first pick, but after that they will be open to anyone who is 55 or over, Cobb said.

"We have 10 or 12 homes for sale a year. Occupants are usually a couple or more likely an individual," he said. "We feel having the cottages is a great option. They can still use our community center, they can still make friends here, and they get more support."

All of the cottages will be built so they don't require steps or ramps to enter, Cobb said. Each home will have a carport and they will be spaced close enough together so people can sit on their porches and communicate with each other, he said.

Rent will start at $1,800 a month, plus utilities. Mowing, repairs and other maintenance will be handled by Retirement Estates staff. If all goes as planned, all of the new cottages should be ready to occupy within about a year and a half.

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Check out display model at Saturday open house

Retirement Estates will hold a public open house to show off a recently completed display model of the new cottages from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 27.

To meet growing demand, the community also plans to build 15 new owner-occupied manufactured homes, Cobb said, although no timeline has been established.

"People are out there looking for this type of lifestyle," he said.

Longtime Retirement Estates resident Jeff Waters is one of the people who enjoys that relaxed, tight-knit lifestyle.

Waters believes the new cottages will be a perfect complement to the amenities already available in the community.

"If anything ever happened to me, my wife would be in perfect hands. Neighbors help neighbors. We watch each other," Waters said. "I think (the cottage project) is going to take off. You don't have to go live with your kids, or go to a nursing home."

For more information, call 607-739-0521, or go to retirement-estates.com.

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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Chemung County retirement community expanding with 24 new cottages