Del Webb is filling a hole in the Middle Tennessee housing market.
The hole: active-adult communities.
According to Jason Demuth, president of PulteGroup’s Tennessee division, the 55-plus demographic is one of the biggest growing segments in the market.
“The biggest thing we struggle with in Middle Tennessee is housing inventory — having enough, not having too much,” Demuth said.
Del Webb, a retirement-community developer and subsidiary of homebuilder Pulte Group Inc., announced its latest community earlier this fall: Del Webb at Barton Village, which will bring over 700 homes to Lebanon and marks Del Webb’s fourth active-adult community in Middle Tennessee.
For Demuth, Lebanon was the “perfect scenario.” It offered space for the 240-acre community; it’s an attractive, fast growing area, right off Interstate 40, while also offering residents a “small town environment.”
“As long as this region continues to grow, and the Del Webb demographic continues to come here, we’re going to keep looking for opportunities to keep investing in these master plans for them,” Demuth said.
The grand opening of Del Webb at Barton Village is set for April 5 and its Southern Harmony community in Murfreesboro opened in April 2024. But the national brand shows no signs of stopping there.Â
Del Webb, a retirement-community developer and subsidiary of home-builder Pulte Group Inc., reveals plans for its newest Nashville development.
Del Webb
Demuth said Del Webb is doubling down on Tennessee and sees the potential of bringing on two additional active-adult communities in the next five to seven years.
“This is a time where housing is under a lot of pressure with costs, affordability and interest rates. … That buyer is growing here, a lot of people are moving here. It seems like there’s great demand for that active adult community,” Demuth said. “A lot of markets might have had years and years of building these communities. We really haven’t.”
In partnership with Phoenix-based Suncrest, the master developer of Barton Village, the 240-acre development will be located on the southern portion of the 350-acre mixed-use, master planned development and will offer dining, retail, offices, medical facilities, outdoor recreation and other housing options connected to Barton Village.
“What we’re providing in one of our Del Webb communities, you really can’t duplicate that aging in place,” Demuth said. “It’s a lifestyle change. … It’s really something completely different.”