Snob appeal. Prestige. Privacy. Security. Peace of mind. Sanctuary.
All of these are reasons why some people want to live behind walls.
Today’s “castles” may not be guarded by moats and drawbridges, but they are protected by fences, guardhouses and electronic gates.
In the wake of Sept. 11, opinions about gated communities have split into two different camps.
Some see walled residential developments as even more desirable now because of their perceived security.
But others believe we should come together in a united way and gates and walls stand in the way.
Gated communities are little towns within towns. Residents like them because they feel safe, and because it is easy to make friends.
The social and recreational amenities offered at many gated communities provide popular gathering spots. Residents meet at golf course clubhouses and at large community centers equipped with everything from auditoriums to club and party rooms, from libraries to fitness facilities, from indoor and outdoor pools to tennis courts.
Some people choose to live behind walls because it provides a sense of belonging to a community. “It’s like belonging to a special club,” said Barry Berkus, president of B3 Architects in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Opponents of the gated concept take a different view:
“The strength of our nation is its diversity, but gated communities appeal to an elitist group,” said Maureen McAvey, a senior fellow for urban development at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C.
She said that since Sept. 11, “we’ve gotten back to a sense of neighborliness. Gates prohibit that.”
This degree of controversy is new to these large, master-planned housing developments. In the past, gated communities boomed in popularity in Sun Belt locations, such as Florida, Arizona, Nevada and California. The Chicago area experienced a gated boom in the 1970s and 1980s, mostly projects with golf courses.
Now, a gated resurgence is taking place locally, but with a new slant. Several of the new developments are targeting retirees, who are more interested in security than golf.
“Gated communities give people a sense of control of their lives,” said Ullica Segerstrale, professor of sociology at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
“Older people like gated communities because they give a feeling of security,” said Gopal Ahluwahlia, director of research at the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C.
However, he noted that “anecdotal evidence suggests that gated communities are no more or no less safe than elsewhere. A lot of problems are caused by kids living in both gated and ungated developments.”
“Fear of crime is not the reality of crime,” said John McIlwain, a senior fellow for housing at the Urban Land Institute.
“Gated communities can give a false sense of security. Because of that, some residents may even leave their doors unlocked. Actually, the walls are usually not high and there are plenty of ways to get in,” McIlwain said. “Living there has more to do with image. It’s like being in a cocoon.”
Cocoons can be costly. Ahluwahlia said that the tab for security to homeowners can be $100 to $200 a month. “Many people don’t want to pay that. Also, local governments don’t like gated developments because of the limited access.”
“Some municipalities don’t want gates because they might block access of emergency vehicles. But the gates usually are lightweight, so fire trucks are able to go right through them,” said Dan O’Brien, general manager of Del Webb’s Sun City Huntley, which is planned for more than 5,000 homes but is not gated.
“We already had a safe, pastoral setting in Huntley. So installing gates might have sent the wrong message — that security was needed,” O’Brien said.
Patrick Beirne, president of the Illinois division of Pulte Homes, explained the early history of gated communities: “Many retirees relocated from New York to Florida and believed they needed the security of a gated development. Gated still is widely accepted in Florida, as well as in Texas.”
IIT sociologist Segerstrale listed other reasons why home buyers want to be fenced in: less traffic and escape from the information overload of busy cities.
But she said one complaint against gated communities is that “part of the city is being walled off, that public space is being privatized.”
“What the inhabitants of gated communities seem to be signaling to others is that they can isolate themselves and not participate [in the world outside the gates],” Segerstrale said.
On the other hand, she believes that gates represent “a real solution to a real problem for many.” In exchange for security, they are willing to accept “the potentially boring predictability of life in a gated community.”
However, boredom is kept at bay at some gated developments because they offer a wide range of social and recreational activities.
“An instant community in the social arena is created by this type of development,” said Christie Baines, co-owner of Wynstone Realty, which markets properties at Wynstone. The 750-acre golf course community in North Barrington was launched in 1987.
Baines added that the gated aspect of Wynstone “is very important in resales — maybe more important than the golf club.” She noted that a “gated development is an easy choice for transferees, and for executives who travel a lot.”
Susanne Tauke of New American Homes, which is building at Wynstone, said the protection offered by gates is important to parents who want to let their children out to play.
Architect Berkus said walls are necessary to encircle an amenity, usually a private golf course, that is not open to the public.
“Gated communities frequently attract a homogeneous group of residents who think of themselves as socially elite,” Berkus said.
But the Chicago area’s new gated communities are targeted more toward retirees than golfers. Here’s what’s happening:
Under construction in the southwest suburbs is Cambridge Homes’ Carillon Lakes. Located in Crest Hill, the age-restricted (55 and older) development is planned for 942 homes.
Nearby in Romeoville is Grand Haven, another new retirement community. The 677-home gated project is a joint development of Lakewood Homes and Del Webb. Models opened in May at Grand Haven, where prices start in the $150,000s.
Christopher Shaxted, executive vice president of Lakewood Homes, explained the reason for gates at Grand Haven: “We consulted two focus groups, one composed of residents in an age-restricted development and the other made up of those who were considering one. Both preferred the gated concept. They were aware that security has its limits, but they felt that the appearance of security was worth the money.”
The Illinois division of Pulte Homes is planning two new gated projects. Ground is scheduled to be broken this fall for Edgewater, an age-restricted project in Elgin with 1,056 homes. Southmoor Country Club, an age-targeted community, is planned for 500 homes in Orland Park.
Pulte’s Beirne said research has shown that home buyers in active-adult retirement developments prefer to be gated. “These buyers are looking for security; they’re not motivated by snob appeal,” he said.
Among the buyers at Cambridge’s Carillon Lakes are Glen and Marion Vandermolen. Security was high on their wish list:
“We like to travel, so it’s important our house is secure when we’re away,” Marion said.
The Vandermolens view the 24-hour guarded entry at Carillon Lakes as “cheap security.” In their previous home in Sleepy Hollow, they were paying $40 a month just for a home security system.
At Carillon Lakes the $159 monthly fee includes maintenance of the recreation center, the three-hole golf course and round-the-clock guardhouse and roving patrols. Approximately 12 percent of the fee goes for security.
Homes at Carillon Lakes are base-priced from $149,990 to $223,490 for 1,107 to 2,322 square feet of living area.
But do gates discourage legitimate visitors, such as friends and relatives?
“The guard has a list of our permanent visitors, so it’s not necessary to check with us every time we have a visitor,” said Joe Murphy. He and his wife, Pat, also are new residents at Carillon Lakes.
Joe commented on the limitations of the security system: “If someone really wanted to burglarize your house, they could do it.”
Pat added: “The gates are more decorative than prison-like.”
While a large community like Carillon Lakes offers the economy of size, the cost of security at smaller developments can be considerably higher.
Consider Hidden Lakes, a 35-home enclave in South Barrington. Homeowners pay a $500 monthly fee for security as well as other maintenance of the property.
Privacy, not security, is the main benefit of the gate at Hidden Lakes, according to Joe Elias, the developer. “These are high-end homes in the $2 million to $5 million range, and there would be a lot of lookers driving by if it weren’t for the gate,” he said.
Elias noted that an electronic system now opens the gate, but that a guard will be on duty when Hidden Lakes is sold out. Some seven lots remain.
Besides privacy and security, some people want to be protected against door-to-door salesmen, and others from teen drivers speeding along the streets.
“From a woman’s point of view, a gated environment means I feel more comfortable when I go out on a walk,” said Mary Westenberger, past president of the Fairway Homeowners Association at Boulder Ridge, the 500-acre golf course community in Lake in the Hills.
Though the 695-home walled development, whose homes are base-priced from $244,900 to $389,000, was launched in 1989, it is only now in the process of putting an electronic gate system into operation.
Just the appearance of security may do the trick.
Some housing developments sport a guardhouse at their entries, but no guard is ever on duty.
“It’s easy to give a guardhouse image without paying for it,” said Allen Kracower, a Buffalo Grove land planner.
One of his projects was the Cotswolds in Northbrook. “We built a guardhouse at the entry on Dundee Road, but the development was too small to support having a guard,” Kracower said.
He noted that much of the land available for housing in the Chicago area is not large enough for gated communities.
One that was big enough is Gregg’s Landing in Vernon Hills, another Kracower project. “We wanted to add to the exclusiveness by making it gated, but the Lake County Highway Department said no because a public street runs through the property.”
He noted that many people buying a second home expect the development will be gated because they will not be there all year.
“Gates create a luxury environment for buyers in our price range,” said Andy Stern, an assistant vice president for Toll Brothers, which is building houses at the Estates at Inverness Ridge. Homes range from $645,000 to $765,000.
The Illinois division of Toll Brothers plans to build on 119 of the 210 lots at the 150-acre site at Palatine and Barrington Roads. Though not fenced, the property is lined with landscaping and berms. The two entrances will be operated by key cards. However, the entry on Palatine Road may be guarded in the future if the homeowners association decides it wants that.
Monthly fees, including security, will be $200 to $300, according to Stern. He added that Toll Brothers also plans to build a gated community in Hawthorn Woods.
Still another reason for living behind walls: “There is even the economic consideration that gated communities will increase in property value,” Segerstrale said.
