Photo courtesy of M/I Homes
Healthy lifestyles almost always stem from balance.
Work/life balance, a balanced diet and the right balance between exercise and rest are all important, but finding a balance in all facets of life is easier said than done.
The residents of Straits Farm know something about balance. Many of them chose the relatively new neighborhood because it afforded them opportunities for balance that other New Albany neighborhoods did not.
Straits Farm is nestled between Johnstown and New Albany/Reynoldsburg roads, just south of Dublin-Granville Road. It consists of 51 home sites, the first of which sold in October 2013, and all are built in the Georgian architecture that is now synonymous with New Albany.
Balancing Style
Photo courtesy of M/I Homes
Susie Rozanczyk and her husband, Gary, were among the first four families to buy homes in Straits Farm, and their story is typical of many others who have become residents of the neighborhood.
“My husband and I wanted to downsize. It was important to us to stay in New Albany because we had lived here for 12 years and loved it,” Susie says.
This dilemma of downsizing in New Albany, a city not known for smaller home options, is one that many couples are facing. Straits Farm allows them to live in their community of choice, yet still in the smaller style of home they seek. Straits Farm is also a zero-maintenance community. This means lawn care, landscaping and snow removal from sidewalks and driveways are included in the homeowners’ association fee.
Balancing Location
Photo courtesy of M/I Homes
“I love Straits because I love walking,” says Susie.
The neighborhood’s proximity to the amenities of Market and Main streets plays a significant role in the balance Straits Farm residents seek. Residents can walk to restaurants, to get coffee, to the doctor or the dentist, and for a workout or one of the many activities at the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany. As with most neighborhoods in New Albany, Straits Farms’ sidewalks connect directly to the blacktop leisure trails, and Susie sees this as not only important for access to all that New Albany has to offer, but also to health.
“We can walk from Straits Farm for miles and miles on those paths,” says Susie. “It is wonderful.”
Balancing Relationships
Photo courtesy of M/I Homes
Similar to the Rozanczyks, Phil and Sheryl Heit moved to Straits Farm from another neighborhood in New Albany, and Phil believes that his beginnings at Straits Farm are similar to other residents’.
“Many who came to Straits wanted to downsize from larger homes in New Albany,” says Phil, founder of Healthy New Albany and the New Albany Walking Classic. “As a result, many in the community already knew each other.”
Susie sees the existing and new relationships that neighbors form as important reasons for residents’ happiness in Straits Farm.
“Since a great deal of staying healthy is also mental health, knowing and talking to our neighbors is very important,” she explains.
Though Straits Farm is only three years old, the neighbors have already grown close. There is an email directory for residents that even includes families who have purchased a home but have not yet moved in, so they can feel welcome and connected right from the start. The residents have also thrown Memorial Day and Fourth of July parties each of the past two years. These parties take place on the island on Cole Park Loop, a common area where neighbors gather even when there isn’t a party happening.
The Result
With their balancing act underway, the residents of Straits Farm find themselves having something in common with the residents of nearly all New Albany neighborhoods.
“If you were to ask almost any of the neighbors, I am quite confident they would say they loved living here,” says Susie.
New Albany resident Bob Valasek is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
