Many seniors and empty-nesters are finding affordable housing in Bedford as well as in Manchester, and while some want to remain near friends and family, developers are enticing them to move to the city for nearby shopping and maintenancefree conveniences.

At a recent promotional event in Manchester, Mayor Frank Guinta said the Queen City is changing into a Renaissance city. Guinta emphasized easy airport access, fine dining downtown, and the city’s location is prime for short drives to the mountains or Boston, and sports games.

William Mueller of Bedford said his house is for sale because his children are in their 40s and his four-bedroom home isn’t necessary anymore.

“We have too much space and too much responsibility, and we’re just looking to downsize,” he said.

The Muellers aren’t looking toward Manchester, though. A 55-and-over community in California is where they’ll likely move, he said.

The Muellers are not alone.

And many seniors are moving into condos locally.

One woman, who wished not to be identified, said she moved into a five-room condo in Village Green in Bedford after her husband died eight years ago. She had lived in an eightroom house on one acre of land in Bedford.

“I stuck it out for about a year, and then it was just too much house for me,” she said.

The woman said her 40-by 60-foot garden and large lawn were too much work. Now, a condo fee takes care of trash removal, grass mowing and snow removal.

The woman wouldn’t have thought about moving out of an area where she has cultivated friends for 30 years.

“Other than the fact that my family is up in Vermont -- two hours away -- I would never consider moving out of the area. I’m too ingrained here,” she said.

Bob Shapiro of Waterford Development Group said his company is building The Neighborhoods at Woodland Pond in Manchester to offer people an easier lifestyle.

“You see a lot of empty-nesters getting out of their traditional larger home and getting into a community with a lot less maintenance,” said Shapiro.

The Neighborhoods at Woodland Pond condominiums are great for Bedford residents and empty-nesters, Shapiro said, because they won’t have to worry about mowing their lawn or shoveling snow.

The community, located on Hackett Hill Road, is adjacent to 600 acres of conservation land and features single-level condos, multi-level condos and townhouses, and single-family homes. Waterford Development is also responsible for The Mews at Bedford and Birchside Common at Bedford.

Another community in Manchester is RiverWalk Place townhouses, located adjacent to Fisher Cats ballpark along the Merrimack River. And, although this community doesn’t have age restrictions, many buyers are older adults from the suburbs, said Patty Harpin of The Gove Group, the company marketing the townhouses.

“About 50 percent of our buyers are young empty-nesters whose kids have just gone to college. They don’t need that big four-bedroom colonial in Bedford anymore,” she said.

RiverWalk Place will contain nine buildings -- four of which are completed -- totaling 45 condominiums.

About one third of them have already been sold, Harpin said.

Moving into a townhouse with three floors, two bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms and a garage wouldn’t be much of a lifestyle change from what many Bedford residents are used to, Harpin said. All of the condos have balconies and fireplaces. Many residents walk to the Hilton Garden Inn hotel next store for dinner or drinks at night, she said.

Shapiro said The Neighborhoods at Woodland Pond will offer a community center with a workout facility and theater.

Prices at RiverWalk Place range from about $300,000 to more than $400,000; at The Neighborhoods, condos range from $270,000 to about $400,000.

But, Harpin said, the sale of a home in Bedford would probably, depending on financial status, be more than the purchase of a townhouse.

Shapiro agreed with what Guinta had said – Manchester is changing, it’s not the same “gross place it was in 1989.”

Shapiro said condominiums are a good way to experience the city. Unlike apartments or apartments refurbished into condos, the units at The Neighborhoods at Woodland Pond will be modeled for living well, he said.

Tax relief for seniors Seniors and residents looking to save on taxes may find that the tax rates in Bedford and Manchester are similar. Currently, Bedford residents pay $16.34 per $1,000 property valuation, while Manchester residents pay $16.85 per $1,000 property valuation, said Bill Ingalls, Bedford town assessor.

For a $300,000 home, a Manchester resident would pay $5,055 in taxes, which is $153 more than a Bedford resident with the same property value.

For both Manchester and Bedford, seniors are offered varying tax exemptions. For Manchester, seniors must have lived in the city three years, but for Bedford seniors must have lived in the state for five years.

Based on their age, Manchester residents are allowed exemptions from total assessed value.

Residents between 65 and 74 years old are allowed $133,700. Residents between 75 and 80 years old are allowed $181,450, and those older than 80 years old are allowed $238,750 from their total value.

The exemptions are lower in Bedford. Sixty-five to 74 year olds are allowed $35,000, 74 to 79 year olds are allowed $40,000 and residents older than 80 years old are allowed $120,000.

Keep seniors in Bedford But, Bedford is also a good place for seniors, said Town Planner Karen White. “Bedford is actively working to provide for all demographics,” she said.

The zoning board and planning board create ordinances that give builders flexibility in what they build, which is good for those who want to build cluster housing units or condos, she said.

Currently in Bedford, there are about 443 apartments and condominiums with over-55 or elderly age restrictions. Some are assisted living, but most are independent living.

Another 68 condominiums on Meetinghouse Road will be 25 percent subsidized. These have been approved but not yet built, White said. And, there are another 1,189 apartments and condominiums that aren’t age-restricted.

Altogether, about 23 percent of all housing in Bedford are condominiums or apartments.

Bedford Taxpayers Association President Roy Stewart said it would be bad for the town if all empty-nesters and seniors moved away.

“Seniors should be looking to downsize, but they don’t have to leave Bedford,” he said.

Stewart said the town needs to have people of all ages. If all seniors and empty-nesters moved out of Bedford, many younger families with children would move in, he said.

With more children in the district, there would then be a need for more school money. That would then raise the property taxes of the older residents who didn’t move out of town.