Two Gen X empty-nest couples are ‘rightsizing’ in a development focused on community

• When the Falks and the Coopermans became empty nesters, both couples began to think about moving.
• They wanted to live in accessible homes in active communities, without ditching the suburbs.
• They’ve both chosen a dense, mixed-use development walkable to the train and the Hudson River.

As Stephanie Falk’s three kids left for college, she started dreaming of trading her Westchester County suburb for New York City, where she’d lived in her 20s.

But Stephanie’s husband, Andrew, didn’t want to give up the greenery and space their family had enjoyed for almost 30 years in their village about 20 miles north of the city.

So the couple settled on a compromise: they’d sell their 100-year-old house in Edgemont, New York, and move to a more urban town in the county, preferably somewhere walkable to restaurants and the Hudson River or Long Island Sound.

Around the same time, in the spring of 2024, the Falks were playing golf with their friends, Judy and Steven Cooperman, when they got to talking about their new home search. The Coopermans were in the same position, looking to sell the house they’d raised their kids in and find a more accessible, lower-maintenance home in a vibrant community. They were considering a new partially constructed, mixed-use development called Edge-on-Hudson in the riverside village of Sleepy Hollow.

This piqued the Falks’ interest. A few days later, Judy showed them around the area. The development checked many of both couples’ boxes: a four-bedroom townhome would be big enough to host all of their kids and their partners comfortably, they’d be a stone’s throw from the Hudson River and a walkable town, and they’d have an elevator in their home so that their aging parents could visit.

Crucially, the densely built homes and shared amenities, including a park and pool, seemed likely to foster a lot of socializing with neighbors and a community-oriented feel.

“I just believe fully in community,” Stephanie said. “And I think as you grow older, from what I’ve learned and what I’ve seen, being stimulated and being around other like-minded people, it can be really beneficial.”

The Falks and the Coopermans, in their mid-to-late 50s, aren’t ready to retire. Stephanie runs a mindfulness and meditation company called Pause to be Present, while Judy works remotely in administrative management at a law firm. Their husbands work in real estate and law in New York City.

They also didn’t want to shrink their living space by too much. Both couples sold their previous homes for a bit more than they spent on their townhomes, which start at $1.6 million. But the new homes will be easier to age in, as they’re accessible.

The couples aren’t alone — they’re part of a wave of Gen Xers and boomers who aren’t quite ready to downsize or move into a retirement community, but they’re “itching for the next step,” as Judy said. In an expensive, in-demand housing market, they managed to find a happy medium.

“We’re right-sizing,” Stephanie said. While the square footage they’ll live in is similar, “the actual lifestyle part of it just feels right for what we want.”

Living near friends — old and new

The development is still under construction, but will eventually include nearly 1,200 townhomes, condos, and apartments, and a park, grocery store, and hotel on 70 acres that previously housed a GM assembly plant.

In late July, both the Coopermans and the Falks moved into Edge-on-Hudson rental apartments, where they’ll stay until construction is finished on their townhomes.

Other future neighbors might also be old acquaintances. Five other couples the Coopermans know have met with the developers to learn more about buying in the community, Judy said.

So far, both women are excited about the change. The Coopermans sold or donated most of their furniture, which Judy said was freeing.

While they used to see each other occasionally for golf or tennis, Judy and Stephanie now see each other more casually.

“It’s very easy to just say, ‘Hey, you want to go out for a walk?'” Judy said.

And they’re already making new friends.

“People are friendly. People are out a lot,” Judy said. “It’s kind of like going to college when you’re a freshman; everyone wants to meet people.”

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