| When you drive through the sea of subdivisions that is Palm City, you'll pass sparkling, new Publix stores anchoring strip malls and, lined up shoulder-to-shoulder, neighborhoods with names such as Pine Ridge, Charter Club, Monarch, La Mariposa, West Villages, Sunset Trace and The Meadows at Martin Downs.
Many of these small "towns" were built on land that was either swamp or cattle pasture or both. You can pick between the planned developments by home prices and amenities - fitness gyms, nature preserve walking trails, clubhouses, community pools and more.
With Palm City's wealth of golf courses and Martin County's A-list schools, and lower taxes and crime rates, retirees and families are attracted to the suburban life because there are fewer unpleasant surprises.
And at The Meadows, residents say, the surprises may be fewest of all - for two reasons.
First, the neighborhood was built by DiVosta. Many of the buyers at The Meadows will tell you they're not the least bit bothered that everyone lives in one of only five DiVosta models - Hampton, Capri, Patio Home, Bedford and a handful of Carmel designs. What they will say is that they wanted a home with concrete, steel-reinforced walls built by DiVosta.
Second, almost 20 years after people started moving in, homeowners at The Meadows pride themselves on a self-sufficiency they say makes them different from their look-alike neighbors. They pride themselves on the people hired to run the place and fix what's broken.
"We didn't have any blue roofs (after the hurricanes)," says Mark Stilwell, The Meadows' property manager.
Stilwell and his in house maintenance crew of 14, headed by Jose Zepeda, fixed roof damage caused by three hurricanes and saved about $230,000 from the community's insurance reimbursement. That money will go toward a maintenance building planned for the subdivision.
"This is one of the best areas as far as taking care of situations," says resident Ben Coraggio, who has lived at The Meadows since 1990. He was on the first homeowners board. "If you have a problem, you just tell Mark."
"My job is like a city manager," says Stilwell, a
missionaries' son who was born and raised in East Africa and came to The Meadows in 1993. "We provide the services for a small city, from fertilizer on your lawn, replacing plants or scheduling card games in community rooms.
"We make sure there's something for everyone, from Jazzercise in the pool to children's activities at the playground."
The Meadows can match the amenities of other subdivisions, including a large, heated pool, tennis courts, a community building for meetings and card playing. The quarterly homeowner fees - $754 to $949 - also cover 24-hour security, cable TV, maintenance of roofs, trees and common areas.
The Meadows is made up of 832 homes spread over six villages. That breaks down to 362 single-family homes, and 470 duplexes and townhouses.
There are 41 homes for sale, with duplexes and townhouses running from $175,000 to $240,000, and single-family homes priced in the high $200,000s to mid-$300,000s.
There are six golf courses within 3 miles of the community, including Martin Downs Country Club across the street and Monarch County Club next-door, making the neighborhood attractive to retirees who love the game. But The Meadows is far from a retirement community.
"The Meadows isn't senior citizens only," says Coraggio. "We like to see the bicycle racks full in the mornings. The back of our community is a mile from where kids catch school buses, and they ride their bikes."
Another plus: streets lined with mature live and laurel oak trees.
"I'm a tree hugger," says Stilwell, who says he'll do anything to save a tree, whether it's been damaged in a storm or its roots have begun to buckle a sidewalk.
But trees, golf, amenities and even a cracker-jack maintenance team aren't what really sets The Meadows apart, admits Stilwell.
"Any neighborhood is what people make of it," he says, "not what I make of it."
Profiles: The Meadows at Martin Downs
CAROL & ED SKUPEEN
THEIR HOME: A 2-bedroom, 2-bath duplex with 1,600-square-feet on a lake.
WHEN THEY MOVED IN: April 1995
WHAT THEY PAID: $125,500
CURRENT VALUE (from Zillow.com): $290,000
WHY THEY LOVE IT: When Ed, a retired police officer, and Carol, an office manager for a pension fund, bought in The Meadows, they intended to be snowbirds and continue to live on Long Island.
"That lasted about a year," Carol says. "Ed lives to fish. He's out fishing now. He plays some golf. We fell in love with this particular DiVosta model. Living here is like living in a park."
She plays mah-jongg twice a week at the clubhouse and serves on the covenants and architectural committees.
After they moved, a hidden delight began to unfold around them.
Shopping.
"You name it, we have it," Carol says.
An old Publix store was replaced by an expanded version, and other businesses quickly followed. A Dunkin' Donuts and Panera Bread are new. Just six weeks ago, the Olympic Diner opened - to Carol's approval.
"We were long overdue for a Greek place," she reports.
She rattles off shopping stops within 10 minutes of The Meadows: Office Depot, Best Buy, Circuit City, Walgreen's. There are choices for furniture, hair and nails, even two places to have alterations done. The Treasure Coast Mall on U.S. 1 in Jensen Beach is a short drive.
Carol's favorite restaurant is French, Courtine's, nearby in Stuart.
And Ed's favorite?
"My kitchen," Carol says.
DOTTIE & BEN CORAGGIO
THEIR HOME: A 1,900-square-foot, 2-bedroom, 2-bath, lakefront home with remodeled kitchen and den.
WHEN THEY MOVED IN: March 1990
WHAT THEY PAID: $150,000
CURRENT VALUE (from Zillow.com): $310,000
WHY THEY LOVE IT: "When we first bought here," says Ben, "we were vacationing from South Plainfield, N.J. We were on Hutchinson Island."
At the time, Ben was winding down his career as a mechanical engineer for ITT in New Jersey. Dottie had worked as a bank teller and at an insurance firm.
"We picked our house when there were just stakes in the ground because of the construction - poured concrete and steel-reinforced," Ben says. "We pictured ourselves living here with the water."
"He said, 'Dottie, this is it,' " his wife says.
The couple, who will celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary in September, were trying to decide whether to retire in New Jersey or Florida. Today, the couple can't imagine retiring in New Jersey.
There's too much to do here, from church to bowling, tennis and swimming in the community's heated pool.
They've converted the den of their home into a computer/TV room, and most evenings, one of them is online while the other's watching the flat screen.
"The computer is like going to the library," says Dottie, but even so, the den isn't her favorite room in the house.
"My two favorite places are the kitchen and the laundry room," she says, "because they are bright places to work."
BECKY & JIM GRAZIOLI
THEIR HOME: A 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath, 1,900-square-foot townhouse on a lake with screened porch and hot tub.
WHEN THEY MOVED IN: June 1993
WHAT THEY PAID: $91,900
CURRENT VALUE (from Zillow.com): $209,000
WHY THEY LOVE IT: Jimmy and Becky love three things: Each other, life and their lakeside screened porch.
"I call this my million-dollar view for $200,000," says Jim, guessing at the value of the townhouse that the couple vow never to sell. "We get the morning sun, and in the evening it's cool. Through three hurricanes, the damage: a 21/2-inch tear in a screen."
There's more that they love about their neighborhood.
With 24-hour security, Jim never worries about Becky running alone in the evenings. The couple, who own and operate a business that sells insurance and annuities, walk and run every day.
By quirk of design or just plain luck, their townhouse juts out facing a lake. Standing in their patio, you can't tell they have neighbors, but they do.
"We have great neighbors," says Jim, who says that when their golden retriever, Bailey, died a year and a half ago, they received 41 notes and letters from residents.
"Everyone had a story about Bailey," Becky says.
When Jim cranks up the margarita machine and the Buffett CDs, neighbors just seem to collect at their townhouse.
"We were going until 2 a.m. last night," Becky says.
She was running a Nutrition World store in West Palm Beach when Jim came in to buy suntan lotion. "Once we saw each other. That was it," says Becky. They've been married 23 years.
Jim and Becky bought this townhouse after her parents asked for a ride to look at models at The Meadows.
"They didn't buy, but we did," Jim says.
"We almost moved once," Becky says, still alarmed at the thought. "Magnolia Lakes in Port St. Lucie. My mom and dad moved up there. But when we got to the Turnpike, I had this feeling in my gut: We can't move."
The Hagers
SAM & JOAN HAGER
THEIR HOME: A 1,750-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath lakefront home with screened patio, remodeled kitchen and hardwood floors.
WHEN THEY MOVED IN: June 1990
WHAT THEY PAID: $155,000
CURRENT VALUE (from Zillow.com): $310,000
WHY THEY LOVE IT: There are six golf courses within a 3-mile radius of the Hagers' home, and that's just fine with Sam.
When he's not playing, he's helping solve problems so others can play at the 36-hole Martin Downs Country Club, where he's the president.
Martin Downs is used as a qualifying course for the Honda Classic, and a neighboring course, Monarch Country Club, was designed by Arnold Palmer.
The Hagers retired to Florida after owning and running JGS Insurance in Holmdel, N.J.
"We started off at Pine Ridge across the street," Sam says. "Florida was going to be our second home. Then we saw that DiVosta was building here, and we came over to look. I was ambivalent, and my wife loved it.
"Then I heard about the construction - concrete and steel - and I was sold."
Now their home is headquarters for frequent visits from their five kids and 10 grandchildren.
"We're a real close family," Sam says. "We use the pool when family visits, but I'm not a swimmer. As a golfer, water and sand are my enemies."
Home Sales In The Meadows At Martin Downs (April 2006 - March 2007)
| YEAR |
SALES |
MINIMUM PRICE |
MEDIAN PRICE |
MAXIMUM PRICE |
| 1995 |
49 |
$75,000 |
$130,000 |
$173,300 |
| 1996 |
49 |
$73,000 |
$120,000 |
$184,500 |
| 1997 |
73 |
$76,700 |
$136,000 |
$190,000 |
| 1998 |
88 |
$79,000 |
$131,100 |
$192,000 |
| 1999 |
68 |
$78,000 |
$129,750 |
$193,500 |
| 2000 |
94 |
$82,000 |
$147,350 |
$205,000 |
| 2001 |
70 |
$80,000 |
$147,650 |
$200,000 |
| 2002 |
78 |
$99,000 |
$170,500 |
$240,000 |
| 2003 |
78 |
$108,200 |
$186,000 |
$287,500 |
| 2004 |
82 |
$161,000 |
$236,750 |
$344,900 |
| 2005 |
59 |
$182,000 |
$288,200 |
$395,000 |
| 2006 |
46 |
$185,000 |
$285,500 |
$430,000 |
| 2007 |
6 |
$160,000 |
$293,500 |
$325,000 |
(Jan.-Mar)
| NEIGHBORHOOD |
TYPE OF HOME |
SALES |
MINIMUM PRICE |
MEDIAN PRICE |
MAXIMUM PRICE |
| Ridgewood Village |
Single-family |
11 |
$199,000 |
$285,000 |
$300,000 |
| Foxboro Village |
Single-family |
4 |
$280,000 |
$289,250 |
$310,000 |
| Brighton Village |
Single-family |
3 |
$315,000 |
$325,000 |
$430,000 |
| Mayflower Village |
Single-family |
6 |
$286,000 |
$325,000 |
$380,000 |
| Lakemont Village |
Single-family |
10 |
$160,000 |
$208,000 |
$242,500 |
| Greenwich Village |
Single-family |
5 |
$309,400 |
$350,000 |
$385,000 |
|
