The Cove at Highland Lake

Independent Assessment

The Cove at Highland Lake's age-restriction claim is strongly supported: the Portland Press Herald, an independent regional newspaper, has covered the community as an explicitly 55-plus, active-adult community across multiple articles in 2025 and into 2026 (including one piece titled 'New residents are enlivening The Cove at Highland Lake, an active, 55-plus community in Windham'), and this is corroborated by the community's own site and the national aggregator 55places. The repeated, ongoing newspaper coverage of actual move-ins over more than a year is a stronger signal than a single marketing snapshot, since it documents the community's age-restricted character as lived reality rather than only as sales copy. This Windham is in Cumberland County, Maine, part of the Portland metro area, and is entirely distinct from Windham, New Hampshire (Rockingham County), home to a separate 55-plus community. The two towns share only a name.

Who May Find This Community Appealing

Buyers age 55 or older seeking maintenance-free, lakefront living within a short drive of downtown Portland -- with direct access to swimming, kayaking, and boating on Highland Lake -- are the clearest match for The Cove at Highland Lake. Its gated setting, community dock and boats, and pickleball courts suit buyers who want an active, amenity-supported lifestyle centered on the water, rather than a golf-oriented or purely suburban subdivision.

Homes, Builders & Development History

The Cove at Highland Lake is developed by Stillhill Development on more than 50 acres with 585 feet of private frontage on Highland Lake in Windham, Maine. The plan calls for 60 homes -- duplexes and townhomes across four floor plans -- with the Portland Press Herald documenting an active, multi-year sales and move-in period across 2025 and into 2026. As of the most recent review, more than half of the planned homes had reportedly sold.

Current Pricing & Market Positioning

Move-in-ready homes at The Cove start at $559,000, per community and aggregator listing data reviewed. Pricing reflects its private lakefront setting and gated, amenity-supported structure. Buyers should confirm current available floor plans and pricing directly with Stillhill Development given the community's active, ongoing sales period.

New Construction vs. Resale Considerations

The Cove at Highland Lake remains an actively selling new-construction community, with more than half of its planned 60 homes reportedly sold as of the most recent review and move-in-ready inventory starting at $559,000. Buyers interested in new construction should contact Stillhill Development directly for current available floor plans and completion timelines; buyers preferring resale should work with a local agent to identify any existing owner listings, though resale inventory may be limited given the community's still-active initial sales period.

Taxes, Insurance & Special Assessments

The Cove at Highland Lake sits in the Town of Windham, Cumberland County, Maine. Maine's own Fair Housing Act (5 M.R.S. Section 4581) uses the modern, post-1999 HOPA formulation for its 55-plus exemption -- a legal nuance discussed in more detail on this state's own overview page. Buyers should confirm current property tax figures directly with the Windham Tax Assessor's office, and request current homeowners- and flood-insurance quotes given the community's lakefront setting.

Community Layout & Lifestyle

The Cove at Highland Lake is organized around direct lake access, with a shared dock, community boats, and nature trails woven through its 50-plus-acre, gated site. Duplex and townhome construction across four floor plans supports a maintenance-free lifestyle, while the resident center and pickleball courts give residents organized, active-adult social space beyond the waterfront itself. Portland Press Herald coverage of actual new residents settling in describes an increasingly active social community as more homes have sold and been occupied.

Shopping, Healthcare & Airport Access

The Cove at Highland Lake is located in Windham, Maine -- Cumberland County, part of the Portland metro area -- roughly 10 minutes from downtown Portland, per community and press coverage. This is entirely distinct from Windham, New Hampshire (Rockingham County), which sits in a different state and is home to a separate, unrelated 55-plus community, Del Ray Place. Specific drive times to area hospitals from The Cove's exact address could not be independently confirmed; buyers should confirm these directly with a local agent or Stillhill Development.

Age Qualification & Material Ownership Restrictions

The Cove at Highland Lake is consistently and repeatedly described as a gated, active 55-plus community across independent Portland Press Herald coverage spanning 2025 and into 2026, the community's own site, and the national aggregator 55places, with the newspaper's ongoing coverage of actual resident move-ins providing especially strong, lived-reality corroboration of the age-restricted character rather than only marketing language. Presented here as legally age-restricted 55+ on the strength of this consistent, multi-source, multi-year confirmation.

Tradeoffs & Limitations

The Cove at Highland Lake remains an actively selling, partially built community; buyers should confirm the current construction phase, exact remaining inventory, and realistic completion timeline for the full 60-home plan directly with Stillhill Development. A specific current HOA fee was not confirmed; given the community's dock, boats, and resident-center amenities, buyers should request the exact current figure and its full coverage before committing. As an attached-home (duplex/townhome) product on leased or shared common land around the lake, buyers should also directly confirm the ownership structure for shoreline access and dock use.

Comparison With Nearby Communities

The Cove at Highland Lake sits in Windham, Cumberland County, separate from the Portland-metro Maine communities of Portland's Stevens Square and Scarborough's Crystal Spring Estates, The Cottages at Pine Meadow, and Hillcrest. Its private lakefront setting and gated, dock-and-boats amenity package give it a genuinely different lifestyle positioning than any of those, more comparable in spirit to a resort-style waterfront community than an urban condominium or a manufactured-home park. Buyers should also take care not to confuse this Windham, Maine community with the separate, unrelated Del Ray Place in Windham, New Hampshire -- the two towns share a name but nothing else.

Current Listings

The Cove's own site (thecovemaine.com), Stillhill Development directly, or a connected local Windham-area agent can provide current available floor plans, pricing, and HOA fee information.

Is The Cove at Highland Lake age-restricted?

Yes. Portland Press Herald coverage spanning 2025 and into 2026, the community's own site, and 55places all describe it as a gated, active 55-plus community.

Is this the same Windham as Windham, New Hampshire?

No. This community is in Windham, Maine, Cumberland County, part of the Portland metro area. Windham, New Hampshire is a separate town in a different state, in Rockingham County, home to an entirely different, unrelated 55-plus community (Del Ray Place).

What waterfront access does The Cove offer?

The community sits on more than 50 acres with 585 feet of private frontage on Highland Lake, including a maintained community dock with community boats.