Back in July 1995 when Fox Hill Farm opened its door, a line of hopeful
new homeowners snaked across the parking lot. The promise of a
community of friendly adults enjoying maintenance-free living and a magnificent club-house was a new concept in the area. Early buyers placed their faith in
reputation for creating lifestyle communities long before the rest of the region discovered adult 55-plus housing. The 491-home community has been the best- selling community in Delaware County for 5 years and is nearing completion. The lifestyle those early buyers were promised is in full swing. The $2 million club-house is the centerpiece of the community and the list of available activities continues to expand. Camaraderie is a key element in the success of the activities; from the Annual Fox Hill Farm Golf Tournament to just meeting in the Fitness Center for moral support on the treadmill, Fox Hill Farm is a wonderful place to make new friends. If you are ready to start enjoying life, you will find a group of fun-loving folks just like you at Fox Hill Farm.
"Unlike our old neighborhood everything is right here for us. There's even plenty of openness. My husband plays poker, he bowls, and, come spring, we're looking forward to playing bocce. Every morning I'm out at 7:30 for a walk. I would never have done that in our old neighborhood."
Fox Hill Farm received the 1999 Pyramid Award from the Home Builders Association of Chester and Delaware Counties as the Community of the Year in the $150,000-$250,000 category. Communities are judged on a number of criteria, including floor plans, entrance features, landscaping, and amenities. The judges who selected the community for this honor were a team of developers, architects, and marketing and advertising professionals from outside the Philadelphia region.
We are honored to have received this award from this distinguished panel.
"I more than enjoy it here; I love it. I came to the area because I have family here. I compared Fox Hill Farm to many places, but Fox Hill Farm offered me a full platter of activities. I'm a single woman and I like the security here. The took a lot of these things into consideration when they designed the homes. This is the 8th home I've owned, and it's my favorite."
"It took us 5 years to find a place. We went to California, even Colorado. We looked in Modern Maturity and all the home magazines but we never found anything to compare to it. We go to the open houses and tell people how much we love it here."
Bocce is big at Fox Hill Farm, really big. Ross Zelesnick, chairman of the Sports Committee of the Homeowners Association of Fox Hill Farm, is very proud of the new bocce courts at this community for adult 55-pluss. The builders constructed traditional clay bocce courts at the $2 million dollar clubhouse that is the center point of the activities at Fox Hill Farm.
But bocce enthusiasts, some seasoned, some new to the sport, were not happy with the original courts. The energetic residents of Fox Hill Farm, who run the clubhouse programs themselves, found a creative way to have more fun and get the most for their money. They set out to improve the courts and do it within their $135 monthly maintenance fee that covers clubhouse membership and all exterior maintenance.
First the Sports Committee researched bocce at the West Chester Italian Club. "We learned how to play bocce, and learned the traditional rules," Zelesnick stated. He and his wife, Betty, even researched the latest in bocce courts being built while on a trip to Florida. There they learned about the newest style all-weather courts that would eventually replace the clay courts.
Then monies were raised by various committees of the Homeowners Association, some with people on them who had never played bocce before, by holding an auction, to which over 25 area businesses and people contributed goods and money, selling t-shirts and sweatshirts, and hosting a variety of other events. In addition, contributed money to the community's efforts to build the new courts.
Bocce has become so popular at Fox Hill Farm, Zelesnick saw the opportunity to form a league. He has organized a variety of league games. Connie Getz, one of the first residents of Fox Hill Farm and the Communications Committee newsletter editor said, "You don't have to be athletic, and I saw how much fun everyone was having and had to be part of it! I love bocce!" Zelesnick said one resident was excited about a league because she had finally found a sport she can play with her husband.
"The social life is wonderful. The people are very friendly because they're all here for the same reason. I swim every day. My husband plays pool and tennis when the weather is good. We both play shuffleboard and bocce. I take art lessons. I'm not an artist, but I have a lot of fun anyway. I love everything about Fox Hill Farm and the clubhouse sold my husband."
If you lived at Fox Hill Farm these are just a few of the activities you could take part in now.
The Villas at Golf View, The townhome community for adult 55-pluss 55+ in Springfield, Delaware County, walked away with the Gold Medal as the best townhome or apartment community in the National Council on Seniors' Housing Awards 2000 in Dallas, Texas in January. Because the 194-home community does not have its own clubhouse or recreational amenities, it is judged in a separate category from resort-style communities like Fox Hill Farm. In selecting Golf View, the judges cited its excellent land plan and architecture and the wonderful amenities for seniors that surround the community, like the Springfield Country Club and the Keystone Crozer Healthplex. The Villas at Golf View are nearing sell out. Remaining homes start in the $180,000's with a $100 monthly community fee that covers all exterior maintenance.
"The sense of community here attracted us most. My husband and I grew up in a neighborhood where everyone cared about each other. Over the years that all changed. Coming here, we've got it back again. You can get a lovely home anywhere, but you'll never find another community as friendly as this."