'It feels like home'

By ERIC G. STARK Staff Writer

Mike Stubljar says Shady Oak Apartments in Mount Joy Township feels like home.

After owning a house in Spencer, Mass. about 60 miles west of Boston for more than 30 years, Stubljar, 64, and his wife, Becky, 59, retired schoolteachers, wanted to escape shoveling snow and be closer to family.

Mike Stubljar's mother lives in Ecumenical Community, Harrisburg. He visits her three times a week, and now the drive is 30 minutes, compared to the more than six hours from Massachusetts.

Becky Stubljar, who grew up in the New Oxford/Hanover area, has a sister in East Petersburg and four brothers in the New Oxford/Hanover area.

Shady Oak, 2053 Shady Oak Drive, has luxury apartments ranging from $850 to $975 per month. Its location five minutes off the Elizabethtown/Rheems exit, close to East Petersburg and Harrisburg, made it ideal for the Stubljars.

"Route 283 is right there, and my wife and her sister are having loads of fun making up for years we have been away," said Mike Stubljar, who likes his first-floor, two-bedroom unit with its view of a pond. He also cited the ample space, closeness to attractions and "excellent accommodations."

The Stubljars live in one of three finished buildings at Shady Oak. There are three units available in this phase now, and 28 units obtainable later this month.

Brandon Clark, a partner with Shady Oak Associates, said the goal is to have the project, with a total of 112 units, finished by the end of the year. Storage units 14-by-20 and 6-by-6 are available to rent.

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'It feels like home'