Communities geared for the 55-and-older set exist primarily as a legal and marketing concept, not as a national standard for home and community design.
Baby Boomers are reliably buying into new and existing subdivisions, lured by promises of sustainably affordable amenities and houses designed for aging in place. But such communities do not adhere to any national or local set of design or community guidelines. That means that prospective homeowners are on their own to discern if the amenities and home design actually align with aging-in-place best practices.
Download the Straight Arrow app today to get the stories that matter free from manipulation, bias or agenda.™
Point phone camera here
“As a builder, you set your standards in your market,” J. Wayne Hiott told Straight Arrow. He runs Tyler Chandler Homes, a builder in the Atlanta area, and is on the board of trustees for the 55+ Housing Industry Council of the National Association of Home Builders.
“It’s really driven by local or state rules,” Hiott said. In his market, the county sets specific building codes for senior living. In other markets, either county or state codes might prevail.
Are 55-plus communities regulated by national standards?
Boomers account for 42% of homebuyers, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2026 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report. As of this year, Boomers are between 62 and 80 years old. What’s more, 17 % of home buyers over age 60 bought in senior-affiliated housing, the NAR reported.
READ MORE: Why Gen Z finally wants Boomer hand-me-downs
About half of Boomer homebuyers opted for a suburb or subdivision, the NAR found, with 76% of Boomers gravitating to single-family houses. Meanwhile, Gen X — those born in 1965 to 1979 — are about to age into 55-plus housing.
Communities specifically marketed to today’s Boomers were legislated into existence in 1995 when Congress passed the Housing for Older Persons Act (HOPA), which allows the communities to restrict 80% of their homeowners to at least age 55. Since then, no national standard — voluntary or regulatory — has emerged to define the characteristics of houses or communities that purport to fit the needs of older homeowners.
Why do builders struggle to design homes for aging in place?
Thus, builders who want in on the growing “active senior” market decide how that point of view translates to home features and community amenities. It’s a never-ending tension between offering houses that can support normal adult living while conveying that additional features can be added as homeowners’ capabilities change, without turning off buyers with implications of geriatric frailty.
Grab bars are a case in point. Though sturdy bars that homeowners can hold on to in the bathroom are widely considered a safety basic, grab bars also forecast a tenuous stage of life. Some builders thread the needle, said Hiott, by installing reinforced framing in the walls for future installation of such bars.
It’s up to consumers to find out what features they need now and to forecast future needs — a heavy lift in the absence of nationally relevant design standards and requirements.
Jeremy Southerland’s parents were excited to move into a house in a 55-plus community that featured walking trails. But then his mother ventured out with her two dogs and discovered that the trail offered no benches for respite — a seeming “no brainer,” said Southerland, who specializes in senior living design and projects, as an associate principal with architecture firm Perkins Eastman.
What makes a community truly accessible for older adults?
In the absence of national standards or norms, some counties and municipalities adopt their own building codes for houses built in 55-plus communities, said Southerland. That includes the design of houses themselves; community amenities, such as clubhouses and sports facilities; and the homeowners’ associations.
“It’s up to the marketing group of a specific property to lay out clear terms: What is that they’re offering that makes this a longevity-boosting community? There’s not a rating system or third-party system to accommodate that,” Southerland told Straight Arrow.
READ MORE: How one city is trying to solve the loneliness epidemic
Design for aging is a holistic concept that includes factors like wider doorways that can accommodate wheelchairs and no-threshold showers that can be navigated by homeowners using walkers. Houses and their community context also need to “combat loneliness and isolation, and to fulfill needs for creativity, connection and wellness,” he said.
What features should buyers look for in a retirement community?
House hunters can start by reading the local building codes pertaining to single-family houses in designated 55-plus communities and then detect what amenities builders include that go beyond the legally required basics. It’s important to check relevant zoning regulations as well.
Hiott said that generously proportioned hallways and foyers; self-contained first-floor living; doors with lever handles and plenty of storage space are widely accepted amenities for houses in 55-plus communities. In his area, 55-plus houses must have at least one entry that doesn’t involve a step.
Well-placed lighting and high-contrast finishes are especially important for aging homeowners, accessibility consultant Janis Kent said.
“There are certain colors we don’t see as well as our eyes get older,” she told Straight Arrow. “You need to provide contrast between light and dark. A contrast between blue and purple doesn’t help.”
Handrails, light switches, stairs and doors should be finished in contrast to surrounding materials, she recommended. Lighting — lots of it, with dimming functions — enables homeowners to control brightness to enhance rest, she added.
And, homeowners’ associations need to be cognizant of the unique needs of their older members, added Southerland. That means budgeting for potential expert guidance and to evolve amenities to ensure that the community continues to effectively serve its residents.
Round out your reading
- Lawyer says 57 Cornell frat members were in the group chat. Could their silence be a crime?
- Florida county discovers mysterious Flock cameras with no obvious owner.
- Off Script: They won their primaries on one message. Now it’s disappearing.
- Some question whether a popular affordable housing policy is making the nation’s home shortage worse.
- Kelvin wave incoming: Why the US should care.
