Housing options

Jeff and Lila Hauptman fell in love with Arizona on their first visit from New York and purchased their home in Sun City Grand after being in the state for 24 hours.

Some day, they hope their 36-year-old gay son will find the area just as welcoming when he retires.

Marigold Creek, a resort-style retirement community, is marketing to gays and lesbians to "come out in the sun" in Surprise. The project developer plans to break ground on a 190-unit, gated community on 32 acres near 159th Avenue, between Happy Valley Road and West San Ysidero, north of Grand and the Loop 303.

Surprise Mayor Lyn Truitt said the city has a history of being an accepting community.

"We're a community that does embrace folks not often accepted," Truitt said.

Should the construction stay on schedule, the first residents are expected to be able to move into Marigold Creek in the fall of 2009.

Truitt said the community has not gone through the planning and zoning approval process yet but says every proposed project has an equal opportunity as long as it meets the city's various residential and business criteria.

"Everyone has a fair opportunity to bring their project forward," the mayor said.

Truitt said he has received about equal amounts of positive and negative response about the Marigold Creek from Surprise residents.

"Some have said it sounds like a good project," Truitt said. "Others are concerned about how a community would impact them personally. When you don't have the information available, it's easy to be more concerned."

Truitt said constituents' concern is a factor when a project goes before planning and zoning for approval, but there are other factors, including municipal codes and laws.

"Public opinion always plays a role," Truitt said. "But at the end of the day we have a process in place that (will say) if this is an allowable use, meets the requirements and would have no reason to deny a specific project. If the project does not meet the criteria, then it's another story."

The mayor said some of those determining factors would be density, architectural and transportation systems and other amenities.

The Hauptmans said the safety and security of a gated community marketed to gays, lesbians, and their friends and families, could attract them to live at Marigold Creek.

"There's always a lot of people in the world, and a fair amount in Sun City Grand, who really do not care to live near people with - and I'll use their term - ‘a lifestyle' which is different from theirs," Lila said. "A lot of them are evangelicals who say they love the sinner and hate the sin, and there are a lot of bumper stickers that say marriage is for (man and woman) only."

Lila Hauptman said being in an accepting community would benefit those retirees who often have lived closeted lives, keeping their sexual orientation a secret.

"It's a terrible thing to think that when you are retired, you still can't relax, and have to still go back in the closet or stay in the closet and have to refer to (your partner) as a roommate," Lila said. "It's not a roommate, it's a soul mate, a spouse."

Developed by Out Communities, Marigold Creek is taking deposits for buyers interested in purchasing a home and has several events planned to introduce its concept to the area. At a February dinner in Phoenix, 24 units were reserved within 24 hours. Repeated efforts to contact the developer for comments were unsuccessful.

An all-day buyer's party is planned this Saturday, based at Wigwam Golf Resort and Spa in Litchfield Park, which includes a deluxe coach bus tour of the Marigold Creek site and dinner. Reservations for the event may be made by visiting the Web site at www.marigoldcreek.com.

Truitt said he has viewed the community's Web site, which includes floor plans of the desert contemporary-styled one- to three-bedroom condos, patio homes and single-family homes and artist renderings of community amenities, including pools with poolside bar and grill, fitness center, day spa, walking trails, concierge service, theater and cabaret, spiritual center and dog park. A travel club, coffee kiosk and on-site activities director are also planned.

The price range lists the units from $249,000 to $850,000.

"It does indeed look upper scale," Truitt said. "And if they do come in, it's always good to have an upper scale community come in."

Marigold Creek joins a handful of other gay and lesbian retirement communities including one by RainbowVision Properties, Inc., in Santa Fe, N.M. The company has a project under construction in Palm Springs, Calif., and others planned for San Francisco and Vancouver.

Dave Pape, president of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) of Phoenix and Arizona state coordinator, said there are positive and negative aspects to having a gated community marketed primarily to gays and lesbians.

"The only drawback to this type of community - is we found in PFLAG that when a straight person who may have negative feelings or even be homophobic, if they come in contact with gays and lesbians that melts away," Pape said. "Then they have a face and identity."

"When you isolate from the rest of society, the rest doesn't get to know them as regular people," Pape said. "That's the only drawback I see."

Pape said gay and lesbian retirees have some of the same needs as straight retirees, but also have a set of separate issues.

"(They need) friendship and companionship, and different activities," Pape said. "But a lot of GLBT (gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender/transsexual people) feel isolated. Society as a whole still isn't totally accepting of GLBT. But more straight people are finding out it isn't a matter of choice."