FRIENDSHIPS have
room to flourish in the cozy
spaces of Spring Valley.
The 10 cottages in the Port
Townsend, Wash., neighborhood range from 600 to
1,200 square feet.
Downsizing
Last year, when their last
child graduated from col-
lege and moved out, Linda
and Mark Lauritano con-
sidered downsizing from
their 3,000-square-foot
home in Stow, Mass. When
they had to pack up Mark’s
parents’ house in Maine
and move them to a New
They found Concord Riverwalk, a new community of 13 small homes in
nearby historic Concord. From there Linda, a project manager, could take
the commuter train into Boston, rather than drive for an hour or more ev-
ery day, and the couple could walk to movies and restaurants in town. “I
had never heard of a pocket neighborhood,” says Linda, 55. But the couple
was sold on the design, convenience, energy efficiency, community gardens,
outdoor screened pavilion and fireplace, and the diverse ages of residents.
MISHA GRAVENOR
Sally Abrahms writes about boomers and aging. She blogs about caregiving
at blog.aarp.org/author/aarpsally/ or at sallyabrahms.com.
MAY 2012
aarp.org/bulletin 19
