After putting his three kids through college, credit card industry veteran Mike Turano no longer had a need for his big custom-built Stony Brook home, so he started eyeing a move down south.
But before he and his wife packed up and left New York, they stumbled upon Country Pointe Meadows in Yaphank, a luxurious 400-home condominium lifestyle community for adults aged 55-plus. A year after becoming its first resident last summer, he couldn’t be happier that they decided to stay close to their kids on LI — and are doing so in style.
“It’s very upscale,” he says. “For what you’re paying, I think this is total value. One hundred percent.”
Pricing ranges from the upper $400,000s to the upper $600,000s with real estate taxes as low as $3,900 — well under the $21,000 Turano was paying in property taxes in his previous home — at Country Pointe Meadows in Yaphank. It’s the for-sale, home-ownership component of The Boulevard, a 322-acre smart growth mixed-used development that will include retail stores, a park, dog park, hotel, baseball field, track, rental apartments, and assisted-living facility.
“It’s a great place to meet your neighbors and spend time with your family,” Turano says. “Knowing what Long Island costs to live, this really kept me here and it really helped us out and allowed us to continue a beautiful lifestyle.”
The development is being built in three phases, with phase one completed and nearly sold out. Phase two is currently underway and is a third has been sold, for a combined 65 units bought so far, with more in contract. Phase three starts in 2021.
Conveniently located right off exit 68 on the Long Island Expressway, a half hour drive from Syosset and near the gateway to the East End’s farms, vineyards, golfing, shopping, and waterfront — assuming residents can tear themselves away from their beautiful abodes.
“The level of finish and quality of the home, our open floor plan, the wood floors, the marble counter tops … There’s nothing like it in Suffolk right now in terms of retirement communities being built,” says Steven Dubb, a principal of the Jericho-based Beechwood Organization, Long Island’s largest homebuilder. “The condo lifestyle is what our residents are looking for.”
At the heart of the community is an active 11,000-square-foot clubhouse boasting a ballroom, oversized gym, bar, barbecue area, firepits, patio, pool, and all the amenities of resort-style living.
“It feels like you’re on a vacation,” says Maria Pini — like Turano, an empty nester — who moved to the community from Woodbury with her husband. “It’s really that kind of atmosphere. There’s no pressure.”
Of course, what makes a community great is not just top-notch houses with high-end creature comforts, but also quality people.
“We now have more friends than we could have possibly met anywhere else,” Turano says. “And they’re all just like us — the same exact story. They’re here on Long Island, they had the big house, the kids moved on, and this was their opportunity to stay on Long Island because the taxes are reasonable and the maintenance fees are reasonable. Everyone’s loving it here and I honestly can’t say a bad thing about it.”
The Beechwood Organization is hosting an open house at Country Pointe Meadows from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12. The community is located at 1 Grace Hall Lane, Yaphank.