Tampa Luxury Homes Include Special Accommodations For All

A new housing development in Tampa offers a little more diversity than your typical suburb. And no, it's not about blending cultures or ethnicities. It's about inclusive, intergenerational living.

Ravinia Luxury Courtyard Villas in Carrollwood is building a gated community of homes that cater to the needs of family members -- regardless of age or ambulatory ability. Floor plans offer wider doors, entryways and hallways; and provide curbless showers, single-lever faucet controls and reinforced walls to bear the extra weight of grab bars and handles.

"These are designs that are receptive and accessible to everyone," says Ellen Zusman, a representative affiliated with the development. "Whether you are a young family living with strollers or one with older members who can't climb steps, our designs make life a little easier. We actually have intergenerational families buying more than one house so they can be in the same community.

"When you buy a home," Zuffman continues, "you don't think about how an older family member will get up the steps to the front porch or how a stroller will fit through a doorway. We have young couples looking at our property and floor plans who are searching for their first home. Some day they may need accommodations that require they retrofit whatever home they're living in by then. If they buy here, this may be the only home they'll ever need."

Ravinia has been under contract for three years. But financing suffered during the recession. "Our private financers were persistent," says Zuffman. "We just broke ground on the models. And our first home will be finished by August 1, 2010."

Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Source: Ellen Zusman, Ravinia Luxury Courtyard Villas