Generation X isn’t ready to slow down.
As more members of this generation, born between 1965 and 1980, cross the 55-plus threshold, they’re looking for vibrant, social communities centered on wellness and personal growth to call home — and Shea Homes isn’t the only builder taking notice.
“They’re young in mind and young at heart,” said Jeff McQueen, president and co-founder of Trilogy by Shea Homes Active Lifestyle Communities, which develops resort-like communities nationwide.
In California, Trilogy communities stretch from Northern California to the Coachella Valley, ranging from coastal boutique enclaves to desert oases. Its midsize neighborhoods sometimes nest within larger master plans where residents can walk, e-bike or drive golf carts to area amenities.
When McQueen co-founded Trilogy in 1999, golf clubs and isolated Sun Belt developments favored by male buyers of the Silent Generation largely defined the 55-plus market. Then came the baby boomers. Now, Gen X is pushing the market in new directions, with single women among the largest group of homebuyers.
Southern California News Group spoke with McQueen about changing buyer demographics, the evolution of active adult communities and what today’s 55-plus buyers want. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: When did homebuilders realize Gen X wanted something fundamentally different from the baby boomers, who I assume wanted something completely different than the Silent Generation, and how did they adapt based on these observations?
A: You have to watch it real time. Think about how people want things in life relative to their age versus generation. If you create something for them when they’re 50, by 62, they might want something a little different. A lot of the Silent Generation had pensions, so many picked up from colder climates and migrated to the Sun Belt. When we see people migrating from, say, Chicago to Arizona, it’s more part-time. Boomers stay connected to their kids and their grandkids, and Gen X connects even more to theirs. So, it’s staying in tune with where people’s hearts and minds are.
Q: And what’s in the hearts and minds of Gen X?
A: They focus more on quality of life. Instead of buying homes for retirement, they’re exploring communities that enhance their living experience and support their mental well-being and social connections. At 55 or 60, they’re not slowing down; they’re entering a different life phase. We consider that in our community design, but it’s not one-size-fits-all.
We start with the natural beauty that attracts people to a location and create experiences that let them take in what the land offers, whether it’s view corridors, natural walking trails and that sort of thing. We build physical spaces that bring people together around how they want to spend their time. People also focus on recovery — that’s a new trend that we see. So, we put in stretching and recovery areas.
Q: What is the common mindset of people exploring your communities today?
A: They are looking for less contrived, pre-programmed places. They want spaces in naturally beautiful areas that fit their lifestyle, with easy proximity to recreation, family or a specific region. One of the great things about moving into a community like ours is finding that like-mindedness. They want to find their own way, but they also want a place where they can connect, explore new interests and find a new group to pursue those interests with.
Q: How does what they want change how you manage community life?
A: We provide access while offering more variety, but let people pick and choose how they want to participate. Like, mahjong is super popular now, mostly with women but men, too. It brings people together.
People finding their way into our communities are looking for a high concierge-level touch and quality physical amenities. They have been served well out on Main Street. When you go to restaurants today, the service and food quality are super high, and people expect that in our clubs. We try to deliver that. There might be 200 different clubs for all the different interests.
Q: How do these developments function when nested inside a larger master-planned community?
A: When nested in a master plan, family or extended family might live within the same community, providing both proximity and access to services like grocery stores and nail and hair salons. Master plans, being larger in scale, typically draw those service-level amenities either inside or adjacent to the community. That’s one of the advantages of having different generations living within a larger master plan. They can be close to one another while maintaining their own households.
Q: Are the Trilogy communities strictly 55 and older or do some people move in with school-age children?
A: Generally speaking, families with kids aren’t a predominant part of our buyer demographic.
Q: At a recent conference, you mentioned seeing a rise in single female buyers. What do you think is driving this trend?
A: I think a few factors drive it. Our country still faces a reasonably high divorce rate, and divorce often happens when the nest empties. There are more people not marrying or having kids, so there are more single households overall.
It’s interesting because we find that women are super open-minded to exploring our communities and how our communities can be a connector for them — a place where they can meet people and thrive.
Today, single buyers make up almost 20% of our overall sales volume, and 90% of those are female buyers.
Q: How has that influenced the types of homes and the communities you build?
A: Obviously, a single household has less means than a dual household, and they may not need or want as much space. So we’ve designed smaller homes that are more attainable and more usable for a single household.
We’ve also designed attached products, like a duet, and we find that single female buyers are attracted to them. A sense of security comes with sharing a wall with a neighbor. You have a smaller footprint but still get great indoor-outdoor living and lots of natural light. And you have a neighbor you can rely on if you’re not there or something potentially happens. There’s a sense of security in that.
When guests come out, we also try to connect them with members who might be like them so they can get a sense of whether our community is right for them.
It works great with single women because they get connected to a friend group right away. They can talk to someone who’s gone through the experience of moving here, and if they choose to move in, they already have a contact who can introduce them to lots of folks and help them get settled quickly.
Q: What does a typical day look like in one of these neighborhoods?
A: You see a lot of people out on the sidewalks and trails, particularly in the morning, walking alone, as couples or in groups. It’s very vibrant. There’s lots of social activity, whether it’s people playing pickleball, taking a yoga class or spending time at the pool reading, getting some sun or swimming laps.
During the noon hour, you’ll see people having lunch in our restaurant. As the day goes on, club meetings, card games and arts and crafts in the art studio. Some people come out for happy hour in the late afternoon and have dinner at the club.
Oftentimes, we’ll have planned events in the evening, whether it’s a comedy night or a cover band concert. I think you’ll find that our places are busy and animated. Generally speaking, people who live in communities like ours are more social and connected with others outside their households. They’re engaged in life.
Q: Are you planning to build more Trilogy communities in California?
A: We’ve been building Trilogy communities in California for as long as I’ve been here. Today, we operate a couple of communities on the Central Coast, one just south of San Luis Obispo and another in Paso Robles. We have two in Northern California, one in San Juan Bautista, near Hollister, and another in Lincoln, east of Sacramento.
We also built Trilogy communities in La Quinta and Indio, and Shea Homes is part of Disney’s Storyliving community in Indian Wells, which has an incredible 22-acre crystal lagoon. It’s quite a place.
We happen to be between Trilogy projects in California right now, but we’re constantly looking for more opportunities.
Q: What do you think developers need to understand about today’s 55-plus buyers?
A: I think most people in their 50s and 60s don’t think of themselves as 50 or 60. They probably view themselves as 10 to 15 years younger than they actually are. That’s important to understand when you’re planning and developing communities that people aspire to live in.
We’re mindful that people are aging, and we’re building communities for them to age gracefully in, but they’re not old by any means. They’re in their go-go years, and they want to do stuff.
And so our places are super animated, super hospitality-driven. We create an amazing base camp for them to pursue the best in their lives.
About Jeff McQueen
Title: President of Trilogy by Shea Homes Active Lifestyle Communities
Generation: Young boomer
Hometown: Phoenix
Education: He earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., and a masters of business administration in marketing and finance from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business.
Past experience: Prior to co-founding Trilogy in 1999, he served as director of land acquisitions at PulteGroup and director of strategic planning and acquisitions at Rural Metro.
Trilogy by Shea Homes in California
Here is a snapshot of Trilogy resort communities currently selling across the state, from north to south. For more information, visit www.sheahomes.com/trilogy
Community: Trilogy Bickford (Bickford Ranch)
What: A 55-plus neighborhood of detached single-family homes within the larger, all-ages Bickford Ranch master plan. Located just east of Lincoln and north of Rocklin in the Sierra Nevada foothills, northeast of Sacramento.
Price: $504,999 and up
Size: 1,448 to 2,906 square feet, 2-3 bedrooms, 2-3.5 bathrooms and 2-3-car garages.
Community: Trilogy San Juan Oaks (Hollister)
What: A 55-plus neighborhood of detached single-family homes within a larger, all-ages championship golf community in Hollister, less than an hour south of San Jose and 45 minutes from Monterey Bay.
Price: $695,999 and up
Size: 1,507 to 2,906 square feet, 2-4 bedrooms, 2-3.5 bathrooms and 2-3-car garages.
Community: Trilogy at Monarch Dunes (Nipomo)
What: An all-ages golf resort community of duplexes and detached single-family homes on the Central Coast in Nipomo, about an hour north of Santa Barbara and just south of San Luis Obispo.
Price: $729,990 and up
Size: 1,342 to 1,963 square feet, 2-3 bedrooms, 2-2.5 bathrooms and 2-car garages.
Community: Trilogy Nevina (Paso Robles)
What: A 55-plus neighborhood of detached single-family homes within the larger, all-ages Viñedo master plan in Paso Robles wine country, near San Luis Obispo.
Price: $754,490 and up
Size: 1,624 to 3,232 square feet, 2-3 bedrooms, 2-3.5 bathrooms and 2-3-car garages.
Where: Trilogy at The Polo Club (Indio)
What: An established resort community of duplexes and detached single-family homes featuring both all-ages and 55-plus neighborhoods in the Coachella Valley, about 30 minutes from downtown Palm Springs.
Price: Resale prices vary
Size: 1,294 to 2,549 square feet, 2-3 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms and 2-car garages.
Where: Trilogy at La Quinta (La Quinta)
What: An established 55-plus community of detached single-family homes at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains in southern Coachella Valley, about 35 minutes southeast of Palm Springs.
Price: Resale prices vary
Size: 1,381 to 2,769 square feet, 2-3 bedrooms, 2-3.5 bathrooms and 2-3-car garages.