5 minute read
Neighborhood Spotlight: The Villas of Wood Creek
Neighborhood Spotlight
The Villas of Wood Creek
Homeowner Association:
The Villas of Wood Creek HOA
Management Company:
Community Management Advisors, Inc.
Years Built:
1997–2002
Number of Homes:
182
Home Types:
58 townhouses and 124 patio homes (grouped into 31 fourplex buildings, or quads)
Builder:
Ryan Homes
HOA Top Issues of Interest:
Community involvement, parking, stormwater
Location:
Along Hickory Grade Road, with a portion bordering the 7th hole of Hickory Heights Golf Club
Streets:
Belle Terre Court, Caledonia Court, Oyster Bay Court
Private Amenities:
Clubhouse, swimming pool, gazebo, guest parking lots, walking trail
Fun Fact:
The Villas of Wood Creek is not directly associated with the adjacent single-family plan Wood Creek, which was built from 1993 to 2001. However, Ryan Homes built both neighborhoods.
Neighborhood offers social activities and low-maintenance homes in South Fayette Township
Patio homes, townhouses draw residents to The Villas of Wood Creek
Story & photos by Andrea Iglar
On a Tuesday afternoon in September, Mary Ann Leonard watered her plants, Lynn Foley walked her dog and Francine Gallina taught her neighbors how to play bridge.
The Villas of Wood Creek was more active than other neighborhoods for daytime on a weekday, perhaps because many of the residents are retired.
Plus, the South Fayette neighborhood is designed for communal living. A clubhouse and swimming pool form a hub to meet and socialize, while attached patio homes and townhouses offer a neighborly feel.
A resident named Karin said she chose to live in a patio home 10 years ago because she didn’t want steps. She also enjoys the social activities and camaraderie.
“We’re mostly all seniors, so we take care of each other,” she said.
The patio homes, arranged into 4-unit buildings called quads, offer single-level living with the main bedroom on the ground floor.
Each patio home generally includes two
bedrooms and two bathrooms, an equipped kitchen, a 1- or 2-car garage and, of course, a patio. Some people convert an upstairs loft into another bedroom.
The townhouses tend to include families with children, workingage adults and those wanting to minimize external home maintenance, some of which is covered by homeowner association fees.
Townhouse resident Leo Wisniewski downsized from a single-family home in nearby Wood Creek 11 years ago.
“We were ready for townhouse living where they take care of landscaping and grass cutting and all that stuff,” he said.
Common property starts 6 feet from each home, but residents such as Leonard have the opportunity to add plants and flowers with approval from the association.
“If you put the landscaping in, you have to take care of it,” she said, sprinkling her plants with a garden hose.
A resident for six years, Leonard served on the garden committee, a group that waters, weeds and trims common garden beds.
Other committees exist to welcome new residents, rent the clubhouse, operate the pool (from Memorial Day to Labor Day), approve homeowner requests and organize social functions.
Retired event planner Aggie Lewis heads the social committee, which holds a monthly coffee gathering, a spring soup and salad meal, a summer cookout, food truck nights, an ice cream social, an Oktoberfest celebration and a Christmas party.
Clubs meet to play cards, discuss books and go out to lunch.
Gallina, a retired English teacher, teaches bridge at the clubhouse twice a week: “I retired and the year after, I went on five trips, and I said, ‘You’ve got to do something else.’”
She has been showing neighbors how to play the card game since 2005.
Joanne McLaughlin, a board member of the homeowner association, moved to the neighborhood after her husband died, drawn by the communal atmosphere.
She said the social events, centered on the clubhouse, help encourage retired and widowed residents to participate in activities outside their homes.
“We’re very social,” she said. “It’s nice for the new residents too because they get to meet people.”
While living in a patio home tends to be less expensive than a single-family house, the homeowner group assesses fees to pay for communal maintenance such as lawn mowing, leaf blowing and some snow removal.
Roof, gutter and downspout maintenance is covered for the patio homes.
Over the past few years, the homeowner association has been replacing roofs on the 31 quad buildings.
The association also has treated, removed and fertilized trees, and the group and has worked with nearby Hickory Heights Golf Club to repair a stormwater issue at their common property line.
“We’re proud of that,” McLaughlin said.
