STOUGHTON /Knollsbrook Village
A neighborhood that's like a town of its own

By TERI BORSETI
For The Patriot Ledger Area: 16.39 sq. mi.

POPULATION
2000: 27,149
2006: 27,506

Density: 1,693 res/sq. mi.
Median age: 41
Median household income: $66,785

FINANCES
Tax rate: $9.70 res./$19.93 comm.
Town budget: $64 million
Water/sewer: $15 for first 500 cubic feet/$6.83 per 100 cubic feet.

HOUSING
Median home price
2007: $320,000 ( through Nov.)
Median condo price
2007: $228,000 (through Nov.)

SCHOOLS
Number of students: 3,970
Number of teachers: 288
H.S. grads to 4-yr. college: 60%
H.S. grads to 2-yr. college: 20%
Median SAT score (2006): 1487

Just a couple of miles from Cobb’s Corner, set back off of Route 27 in West Stoughton, is a neighborhood called Knollsbrook Village. It is made up of more than 400 townhouses and condominiums and feels like a town of its own.

Rows of eye-catching brick buildings are dressed with pilasters and pediments and each house is fronted by an immaculate lawn.

The amenities are what convinced Mildred Drobins to move into her two-bedroom townhouse 30 years ago.

“My husband had just retired and he loved the idea of moving into a place with indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts and an exercise room. He felt like he lived at a resort,” Drobins said.

On a recent warm summer day, Drobins joined friends at the community clubhouse for a four-hour game of Mahjong. The clubhouse is a popular gathering place . It has a cathedral ceiling, a two-story fieldstone fireplace and a loft with billiard room.

The community is not age specific. “It’s a mix but with more of an adult slant,” Cheryl Murray said.

Evelyn Chalfin said she enjoys the many friends she has made at Knollsbrook. But she also likes the fact that she can be by herself in her condo.

One- two- and a few three-bedroom units often come on the market at Knollsbrook. Residents say it is a nice alternative to the yard work and shoveling that come with a single-family house.

Seth Stollman of Coldwell Banker in Sharon said units in Knollsbrook sell for $217,000 to $290,000.

“The condo fees cover everything though, and there are quite a few amenities there,” he said. “There are one-level garden units and two-story townhouses. The neighborhood is also within walking distance of an orthodox synagogue,” he said.

For those who prefer the freedom of living in an apartment, just a short distance from Knollsbrook is Stone Ends Apartments. It has 280 one- and two-bedroom units in three-story buildings with contemporary Mansard roofs and balconies.

Paulette Gilfillan, Stone Ends leasing consultant, said monthly rents range from $1,215 to more than $1,500. The highest-priced units have two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

“Residents and prospective renters say they really like the fact that although it’s a rental complex, we offer amenities including a pool and fitness center, and Internet access,” Gilfillan said.

When summer rolls around, Michelle Bono lives with her mother at Stone Ends. The 2008 Sharon High graduate loves sitting by the pool.

“There are lots of young people that live here. I have some friends who live here. It’s kind of like “Melrose Place,” Bono said.

The neighborhood is pet friendly and Gilfillan said it is home to a mix of people, including kids, seniors and young couples.

“I can stay with my grandmother at Sharon Green, but its kind of an older group there so I come here and my friends meet me here.” Bono said.