AUBURN – Ahh, the appeal of downsizing.

Fewer rooms to vacuum. Less space to stash clutter.

And no yard work.

“Amen to that,” said Armand Girard, who with his wife, Rose, will be the first to move into Falcon Creek, the area’s first gated, 55-plus housing development.

Thursday morning Blue Horizon developers installed the Girards’ modular home in the 24-acre complex, a freshly minted cape, custom designed by the couple, who own Curry Printing. When finished, the Girards will leave their 3,000-square-foot home on the back side of Goff Hill for their new, 1,800-square-foot condominium.

“It’s smaller, so it’s easier to maintain,” said Girard of the appeal of his new home. “But it was really the location that drew us.”

The development, which will contain 66 single-family condos when built out, is at 533 Turner St., the heart of the city’s retail district.

“It’s like living in a city,” Girard said. “There are restaurants, retail, groceries, banking … everything you need within a 10-minute walk.”

The location is one of the big selling points for the development. Kris Savard, marketing director for Blue Horizons, said another home will be going in next month and another is reserved. Owners Gary Boilard and Michael Girardin plan to build 12 units a year.

“The pace is really picking up,” said Savard, who expects things will get even busier once people see the crane and crews working on site. “A lot of people want to see it … not look at it on paper.”

Each unit has a 28- by 38-foot footprint, available in cape, colonial or ranch styles. New England Homes in Greenland, N.H., is supplying the condos, which can be customized.

The Girards chose to have vaulted ceilings and a loft in their home, rather than the conventional upstairs bedrooms.

“That was another thing we liked about it, nothing was cookie cutter,” Girard said.

The units cost between $200,000 and $300,000.

Savard said the gate offers security to the development’s residents and counts it as one of the amenities the project offers, like the clubhouse and natural walking trails.

The Girards have a Florida home in a gated retirement community, but that’s not a big deal to them. The appeal of Falcon Creek is location, location, location.

“I think we’ll be very happy there,” he said.