West Valley City · Salt Lake County
The Cottages at Pearce Farm
by Blue Hills Construction
$550,000 to $683,000
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Quick answer
The Cottages at Pearce Farm is a 55+ age-restricted community in West Valley City, Salt Lake County, Utah, built by Blue Hills Construction, with about 65 homes. Homes are single-family homes and twin homes running 1,638 to 2,498 square feet, priced $550,000 to $683,000. New homes are still available from the builder.
It is a residential community, not assisted living or senior care. There is no staff, no nursing, and no meal service. Residents own their homes.
Verified July 2026 by Kris Bowen, Utah real estate broker and senior move specialist. 801-999-8005
The Cottages at Pearce Farm is a gated 55+ community of 65 homes by Blue Hills Construction in West Valley City, under construction since 2025. Four architectural styles, seven floor plans, and an unusually practical feature: 372 square feet of attic storage per home.
Worth knowing up front: there is no pool. The on-site amenities are a clubhouse with a fitness center and a pickleball court.
Broker's note
This is the newest 55+ community on the west side and one of the few gated ones in Salt Lake County. Sixty-five homes, four architectural styles, and a genuinely useful detail nobody else advertises: 372 square feet of attic storage per home, upgradeable to a bonus room. If you are leaving a house with a basement and a garage full of things, that matters more than a clubhouse feature.
Two things the marketing will not lead with. There is no pool. The entire on-site amenity list is a clubhouse with a fitness center and a pickleball court, which is modest, and you should decide whether that is what you want before you fall for the floor plan.
And the pricing gap is real. The builder advertises from the mid $500,000s. Live listings have been running around $630,000. That difference is options, lot premiums, and the bonus room, and it is the single most common surprise in new construction. Ask for the price of the exact home, fully optioned, before you get attached.
One structural note: the Pine plan is only available on duplex lots, so not every home here is detached. If a shared wall is a dealbreaker, say so on the first visit and have them show you which lots qualify.
Kris Bowen, Real Estate Broker · 23 years in Utah
Is this the right fit?
A good fit if you want
- A gated community, which is rare in Salt Lake County 55+ housing
- Brand-new construction with real single-level base plans
- Serious storage: 372 square feet of attic space per home
- Water, sewer, yard care, and snow removal all covered by dues
- Staying on the west side near family, hospitals, and the airport
Look elsewhere if
- You want a pool. The on-site amenities are a clubhouse, a fitness center, and a pickleball court
- You want an established neighborhood. Construction started in 2025 and is ongoing
- You want a detached home and are looking at the Pine plan, which is duplex-only
- You are budgeting from the advertised starting price. Actual listings run well above it
The homes
What "single-level" actually means here
Plenty of 55+ homes advertise main-floor living and still put the laundry in the basement or the second bedroom upstairs. Here is exactly what sits on the entry level.
- Primary suite on the entry level
- Laundry on the entry level
- All daily essentials on one floor
The base plans are genuinely single-level, and the builder frames the whole community around main-floor living. Every plan also comes in a 'with Bonus' version that adds an upper level, so read the plan name carefully. If stairs are the reason you are moving, buy a base plan rather than a bonus.
What to ask the builder before drywall goes up
- Grab-bar blocking in the bathroom walls. It costs almost nothing during framing and is expensive to add later. Nobody thinks to ask.
- Interior door clear width. 32 inches is the minimum that stays workable; 36 is better.
- Whether the primary shower could go curbless later, which depends on the slab and drain location.
- Which entry is step-free. A garage on the same level as the house is usually the cheapest one a home has, and it is almost never advertised.
Amenities
- Gated community
- Clubhouse with fitness center
- Pickleball court
- Walking and biking trails
- Multipurpose and meeting rooms
- 372 square feet of attic storage per home
The HOA
What the dues cover:
- Water and sewer
- Yard maintenance
- Snow removal on sidewalks and driveways
- Clubhouse maintenance
The dues amount is not published anywhere I can find, which is unusual and worth pressing the sales office on. What they cover is known: water, sewer, yard care, snow removal on both sidewalks and driveways, and the clubhouse.
Who actually runs this HOA
Registered with the Utah Department of Commerce as Cottages at Pearce Farm Owners Association Inc. (registration 14281060-MHOA). It is self-managed by a volunteer board rather than a management company, which means documents come from a neighbor rather than an office.
Registered as a master association with a resident president and a community email. No dues figure is published anywhere, so this is the contact to ask.
This is the entity to ask for the budget, the reserve study, and the recorded CC&Rs. I request those for clients as a matter of course.
Two cautions I give every client buying into a newer association
Developer-set dues are introductory. While a builder still controls the association, dues are commonly set low and reserves underfunded, because low dues sell houses. After homeowners take over, boards routinely raise dues and levy assessments to catch up. Ask for the projected turnover date.
Ask for the reserve study, and check its date. Utah law requires a reserve analysis at least every six years, reviewed at least every three, with an annual summary to owners. Under 70 percent funded is a yellow flag. Under 50 percent is a real problem, and the bill arrives as a special assessment after you close.
Who is actually allowed to live here
This is the part that blindsides families, so I would rather over-explain it.
Under the federal Housing for Older Persons Act, a community keeps its senior exemption as long as at least 80 percent of occupied homes have a resident 55 or older. That remaining 20 percent is the cushion associations use to allow a younger spouse, an early-50s buyer, or a surviving partner.
The thing almost nobody knows: HOPA does not, by itself, protect an under-55 surviving spouse. Whether your husband or wife can stay after you are gone depends entirely on the recorded CC&Rs. Some communities include an explicit survivor clause. Some leave it to the board. Some are silent, which is the worst version.
Get these answered in writing before you write an offer
- Can a surviving spouse under 55 remain, and is it written down or left to the board?
- Can an heir under 55 inherit and live in the home, or only rent or sell it?
- How much of the 20 percent cushion is already in use? If the community sits at 19 percent, there is no room left for your spouse. This is obtainable from the association and virtually nobody asks.
- Can a live-in caregiver under 55 stay if one of you needs help?
- How many days per year may a younger guest stay, and does that constrain a summer with the grandchildren?
Location and getting to services
Typical-traffic drive times from The Cottages at Pearce Farm to the places you will actually go.
How far is this from you?
Enter your doctor's office, your church, or a family member's address and see the drive from this community.
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The question adult children ask that nobody answers
How does an ambulance get in? If a community is gated or has controlled access, ask whether the fire district has a Knox box or gate code on file, and whether the first-due unit carries a paramedic. That detail matters more than the drive time does.
A useful benchmark: Medicare Advantage network adequacy rules set maximum time and distance standards by county type. In large metro counties the primary care standard is 10 minutes or 5 miles.
If you stop driving
The least-discussed risk in active adult housing. Losing the ability to drive roughly doubles the risk of depression symptoms and social isolation, and where a home sits determines how hard that transition is.
- Is there a continuous sidewalk to anything useful, or does every errand require a car?
- What is the walk to a grocery store or pharmacy on the actual sidewalk route?
- Is the address inside a UTA paratransit service area? ADA paratransit generally covers within three quarters of a mile of a fixed route.
- Does a county senior transport or volunteer ride program serve this address?
Safety in West Valley City
Based on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting figures for 2024, the latest available, West Valley City recorded roughly 4.7 violent crimes and about 18.4 property crimes per 1,000 residents per year.
These are citywide figures from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting for 2024, the latest full year available. They describe West Valley City as a whole rather than this community, and reported totals shift year to year. Treat them as general background on the area, not as a rating of this neighborhood.
What it really costs each month
The sticker price is the least interesting number. What matters is the monthly nut, and how it compares to what you are paying now.
Starting here, roughly
—/mo
Based on this community's entry price of $550,000 , with (July 30, 2026 average), plus a typical Utah effective property tax rate and insurance. Utilities are not included.
Run your own numbers (opens in a new tab)These payment figures are an estimate for budgeting and planning only. They are not a mortgage quote, a loan offer, or a commitment to lend. Your actual rate and payment depend on your credit, loan program, and current market rates. Talk to a licensed mortgage professional for real numbers. Connect with our preferred Utah lender.
* Based on what the community and builder publish about the dues, which I have looked up rather than assumed. It is not confirmed against the association's own budget and governing documents, and exactly what is covered can differ by phase, by home type, and over time. I pull the current budget and CC&Rs for clients before they write an offer.
This is the honest case for a 55+ community, and it is the one most people get wrong. The HOA fee is not purely an added cost. It replaces line items you already pay on a larger home, in cash or in your own labor. When someone tells me downsizing does not pencil, we usually find they compared the mortgage and the dues and left out the lawn service, the snow, and the roof they will need in six years.
Typical utilities
Rough monthly ranges for a home this size in West Valley City. Utilities are the line item people most often forget to compare, and they are usually where a smaller home wins.
Estimates only, and they vary a lot. A townhome, a condo, and a detached single-family home of the same square footage can run very differently, and so can two neighbors in identical homes depending on thermostat habits, occupancy, and whether the yard is irrigated. Treat these as a starting point, then ask for the actual bills on a specific address.
For the son or daughter reading this
If you are researching on behalf of a parent, you are asking different questions than they are, and both sets are legitimate.
Some perspective, honestly offered: hands-on help from an adult child drops off sharply with distance. Weekly help hours fall from roughly three when you live on the same block to about one at two to five miles away, and keep falling from there. If you are weighing communities, distance from you matters more than most families treat it.
What to check here
How far it is from you. Whether the community is gated and how emergency services get in. Cell signal for a medical alert device. Broadband for telehealth. Whether an under-55 caregiver may live in. Whether the architectural committee permits a ramp or grab bars. And the overnight guest limit, which is the rule that quietly prevents you from staying a week to help.
What this community is, and what it is not
An active adult community is real estate, not care. There is no staff, no nurses, no meals, and no call system. If your parent needs help with bathing, dressing, or medication, that is assisted living, which is a different product entirely. Buying here because it sounds like a safer version of a house is the most expensive mistake families make.
Also worth knowing before you plan around it: Medicare does not pay for custodial help with bathing, dressing, meals, or housekeeping. It covers skilled, intermittent home health only. That gap is what actually forces the next move, and it catches families by surprise.
If you are coordinating with siblings
Agree among yourselves before anyone talks to your parents. The fastest way to derail this is one sibling feeling blindsided, and a parent who senses a united front they were not part of will dig in harder.
Decide early who is the point of contact, who handles the money conversation, and who is simply there for support. If the house eventually sells, the proceeds question tends to surface old family dynamics. Naming that in advance costs nothing and prevents a lot.
Paperwork worth locating now, not later
The deed, the mortgage payoff, a recent tax notice, and the HOA documents if there are any. If a parent may not be able to sign for themselves at some point, the power of attorney or trust paperwork matters enormously and is miserable to sort out under time pressure.
If the move is tied to care costs, talk to an elder law attorney and a CPA before anything sells. I am a broker, not a tax or legal advisor, but I work with families in this spot often and can point you to people who handle it properly.
The most common mistake is leading with logic. Parents who feel managed dig in. The families I see succeed start with what would make the next few years easier and more enjoyable, and let the house question follow.
I am glad to walk a community with the whole family at once and give the same honest read to everybody in the room. That is most of what I do.
Other 55+ communities to compare
Worth a look before you decide. I would rather you tour two or three than fall for the first one you see.
Information on this page is gathered from the builder, the association, public records, and other sources believed reliable, but it is not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice. Pricing, availability, HOA dues, amenities, and recorded community rules change often. Cost and utility figures are estimates only and vary widely by home type, size, and household. Verify all details for a specific address, and read the recorded documents, before you make an offer. Kris Bowen is a licensed real estate broker, not a tax, legal, insurance, or medical advisor. Last reviewed July 2026.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
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Is there a pool at The Cottages at Pearce Farm?
No. The builder's own amenities page lists exactly two on-site amenities: a pickleball court and a clubhouse with a fitness center. Walking trails and meeting rooms round it out. If a pool is on your list, this is not the community, and it is better to know that before you tour.
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Are the homes at Pearce Farm single-level?
The base plans are. Every plan also comes in a 'with Bonus' version that adds an upper level, so the Maple is single-level at about 1,719 square feet while the Maple with Bonus is a two-story at about 2,498. If avoiding stairs is the reason you are moving, buy a base plan and read the plan name carefully.
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Is The Cottages at Pearce Farm gated?
Yes. The builder markets it as a gated community of private homes, which is uncommon among 55+ communities in Salt Lake County. If a gate matters to you, also ask how emergency services get in, whether the fire district has a Knox box or a code on file, and how guests are handled.
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How much do homes cost at The Cottages at Pearce Farm?
The builder advertises from the mid $500,000s, but live listings have run to a median around $630,000, with a published range of roughly $550,000 to $683,000. The gap is options, lot premiums, and the bonus room. Always ask for the price of the specific home with the options you want rather than budgeting from the starting figure.
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Are all the homes at Pearce Farm detached?
Not all. Most plans are single-family, but the Pine plan is available only on select duplex units, so those homes share a wall. There are four architectural styles across the community, and each lot has a predetermined style. If a shared wall is a dealbreaker, say so on your first visit.
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What does the HOA cover at The Cottages at Pearce Farm?
Water, sewer service, yard maintenance, snow removal on both sidewalks and driveways, and clubhouse maintenance. Snow removal on the driveway rather than just the sidewalk is worth noting. The dues amount itself is not published anywhere I can find, so ask the sales office directly and get it in writing.
Talk to a real person
Thinking about The Cottages at Pearce Farm?
I will send the CC&Rs, the HOA budget and reserve study, current pricing, and my honest read. Or just call and ask one question. Both are free.
Call or text 801-999-8005No pressure, no obligation. Happy to talk with you, your spouse, and your family together.