Ken Rieck, from left, Toni Dudley, Carl Cline and Kelly Cline, stop to visit outside the Village Cooperative on July 26, 2019. Rieck and Dudley are each going to be residents at the independent living community for people 62 and older. The Clines were visiting with a relative who was moving in.

Like an excited student about to move into a college dorm, Toni Dudley was pulling a canvas wagon loaded with a few of her belongings into the Village Cooperative Friday afternoon, ready to start a new life.

The 52-unit housing complex, at the corner of West Sixth Street and Branchwood Drive, is for a different stage of life, though — specifically for people 62 and older.

Toni and her husband, John Dudley, were finally moving into the west Lawrence condominiums after several construction delays since they first bought into the cooperative plan in February 2016. The first delay was due to the weather, which affected the building of the parking garage. The second delay came last summer after construction was halted when the contractor filed for bankruptcy and walked off the job.

photo by: Contributed photo

After several delays, residents are finally taking possession of the 52-unit housing complex located near West Sixth Street and Branchwood Drive.

Despite the delays, Toni always remained confident that the project would be completed. The developers, Real Estate Equities Development LLC, had the project bonded, she said, which kept it protected.

Landmark Construction, based in Tennessee, was hired by the bonding company to complete the project, Steve Von Schmidt, marketing director for Real Estate Equities Development, told the Journal-World in March.

On Friday, things were falling into place for the Dudleys. Earlier in the day they had closed on the Lawrence house they had lived in for the past 31 years, and then Toni was able to bring the first load of items into the brand new first-floor condo. Because of health issues, John wasn’t able to help.

Movers are scheduled to bring the bulk of their belongings on Aug. 9. In the meantime, they will stay at SpringHill Suites, 1 Riverfront Plaza. It’s where many of the other Village Cooperative residents have been living until their move-in day. Some have been living there as long as a year, Toni said.

“The SpringHill staff has been amazing,” Toni said. Plus, Real Estate Equities Development has been paying the expense for those staying at the SpringHill Suites, she said. Von Schmidt confirmed that.

The vast majority who had bought into the cooperative have stayed with it, Von Schmidt said.

Toni said she and her husband were more than ready to move into this new living arrangement. It is homeownership without a lot of the headaches, she said. They will pay a set monthly fee, which will include all maintenance and repairs. When they decide to sell, there will be no commission fee to the developer.

Toni Dudley stands on the balcony of her new home at Village Cooperative near West Sixth Street and Branchwood Drive on July 26, 2019. She and her husband, John Dudley, are moving into the west Lawrence condominiums designed for people 62 and older.

“We call it a new ‘no maintenance lifestyle,'” Von Schmidt said, speaking to the Journal-World on Friday. He said residents appreciated the “lock-it and leave” concept, where they can be gone for periods of time and know their home is secure and they don’t have to worry about mowing the lawn.

Residents have spent the years of construction time bonding, Toni said. They frequently had gatherings and discussed the progress of the construction.

“We really have gotten to know each other, and we like each other,” she said.

With the construction ordeal behind them and the summer heat all around, they’re looking forward to winter evenings watching KU basketball in the common room with new friends.