Home Towne Square

Home Towne Square is a 55+ community in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, tucked into Lancaster County's Pennsylvania Dutch Country just west of downtown Ephrata and a few blocks off Route 322. What sets it apart from typical active adult communities is its architectural personality — Landmark Homes designed the entire neighborhood in an Arts & Crafts village style, with welcoming front porches, distinctive color palettes, and character-filled details on one- and two-story homes. Residents own their land (no land lease), and homes are single-family detached with first-floor owner's suites, 10-foot ceilings on the main level, gas heat, and public water and sewer. Construction began in 2009 and is being built out across five phases totaling roughly 300 homes. The community has moved into its final phase (marketed as "nearly sold out" and selling its last homes), so buyers today choose between resales and a shrinking inventory of new construction from Landmark Homes. There are 14–16 floor plans ranging from about 1,807 to 3,245 square feet, with 2–4 bedrooms, 2–3 bathrooms, and attached garages. Popular plans include the Edinburgh, Plymouth, Norfolk, Oakville, and Cranbrooke. Interiors typically include quartz or Silestone countertops, tile showers, gas fireplaces with stone surrounds, and open kitchen/great-room layouts. Recent resales have sold in the high $400s to mid $500s; new builds in the final phase list up to the mid $600s. The social heart of the community is Towne Hall, a 7,100-square-foot clubhouse reserved exclusively for residents. Inside you'll find a fitness/exercise room, library, billiards room, card and craft rooms, a demonstration/catering kitchen, a movie room, and multi-purpose meeting space used for parties, club gatherings, and holiday events. Outside, there's an outdoor pool and patio, a gazebo for picnics, and winding walking and biking paths through landscaped common areas. The clubhouse calendar is coordinated by the homeowners themselves, which gives the community a genuinely resident-driven social feel — coffee mornings, birthday parties, fitness sessions, and interest-based clubs tend to be organized by the people who actually live there rather than a full-time activities staff. The HOA runs a modest $173/month and covers lawn mowing, snow removal, trash and recycling, common-area maintenance, and clubhouse/pool access — a low-maintenance setup that lets residents lock and leave for travel. There's no CDD or land lease. Location is a major selling point: the community sits in Clay Township within the Ephrata Area School District, minutes from downtown Ephrata's shops and restaurants, close to the Green Dragon farmers market, Ephrata Cloister, and Mt. Hope Estate & Winery. Lancaster's city amenities are about 20–25 minutes south, Reading is 30 minutes east, Harrisburg is under an hour west, and Philadelphia and Baltimore are both reachable for a day trip. Pennsylvania's retirement-friendly tax treatment (retirement income is not taxed) adds to the appeal for buyers relocating from higher-tax Northeast states.