If you shopped here you'd be home by now

Maintaining their 4,000-square-foot Wayland home is a chore for Elisabeth and Andrew DePristo. The empty nesters long for the conveniences of downtown condominium living, where upscale amenities are steps away and someone else worries about the landscaping.

So when they learned a luxury condo complex was planned at Natick Mall, the couple reserved a three-bedroom, three-bathroom penthouse.

''I like the fact that there are so many different kinds of stores in such close proximity," Elisabeth DePristo said.

While ''mall living" may be an oxymoron to some homeowners, for many suburbanites the mall has become their downtown -- a vibrant village where there is plenty to do.

The Natick Mall's owner, General Growth Properties, is proposing to build 220 luxury condos adjacent to the Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom department stores already under construction at the suburban shopping mecca. The single-level condos will range from the high $300,000s for an 800-square-foot unit to $1.3 million for 2,200 square feet.

The $100 million complex will feature a fitness center and access to a rooftop garden on an adjacent mall building. The developer has agreed to help finance the construction of bike trails in the area. And there will be a path leading from the mall, past an AMC movie theater on Flutie Pass in Framingham, to Shoppers World, another shopping center.

Living at the mall is an unusual twist to the suburban ideal, in which residential flight from the urban core facilitated the sprawling shopping centers that now occupy Route 9 and other commercial strips. But even among suburbanites themselves, the Natick condos are challenging their concept of home.

''Everyone keeps saying 'Why would you want to live at the mall?' and I keep saying why would I not want to live at the mall?" said Jennifer Moran, a 29-year-old financial consultant in Natick. ''It has everything that living in the city would have. Anything I could possibly need is right here."

Moran plans to buy one of the smallest condos, and cites location as the primary reason. She likes having so many commercial amenities within a stone's throw of home. Moreover, visiting friends in Boston would be easy, she said, given the proximity of the condo complex to the Mass. Pike.

Indeed, dozens of residents of Boston's western suburbs have added their names to an interest list for the 12-story condo towers. Many are middle-aged couples looking to downsize their living space but who want to remain in the suburbs, close to friends.

Elisabeth DePristo, for one, envisions meeting friends for dinner at one of the mall's new sit-down restaurants and spending snowy days wandering around her favorite stores without ever having to go outside.

''Will I go into the mall every day?" she wondered. ''God, I hope not."

But others don't understand the allure. Nothing could be less appealing to Jane and Bill Punchard than having to fight mall traffic to get home. The Sudbury couple said condo life should mean proximity to museums and theaters and a view of something more enticing than traffic on Route 9.

''There isn't any culture around here," said Jane Punchard, taking a break from shopping. ''There's just roads everywhere, and stores."

Jackie DeNeo, a 67-year-old retired country club hostess, said though she shops at the Natick Mall frequently, she couldn't imagine settling down next door.

''It's like you like to go to Vegas, but you wouldn't want a casino next door," she said.

Fence-sitters include Linda Devine, a 60-year-old office manager who is considering trading the 1914 home in Waltham she has lovingly restored for a condo at the mall. She thinks the energy at the mall would keep her feeling young, and she'd enjoy walking through it as a daily ritual.

''I don't want to hibernate in the wintertime," she said. ''I'll be able to leave at my convenience without having to get in the car . . . and go over and see people. I think it's going to be a plus to my lifestyle."

But Devine is also considering a town house development closer to her current house that has tennis courts and a pool.

Pending town approval, General Growth Properties expects to begin construction this spring, with the condos ready for occupancy in 2008, said Aaron Bartels, the senior director for development.

Bartels said the complex will cater to people who expect more out of where they live than a place to sleep at night.

''It's really much more about community," he said.

As for Elisabeth DePristo, 53, who grew up in Newton, running errands on Route 9 is common. ''We are car people," she said. ''We are used to getting in our car and driving places."

DePristo said she and her husband, a biotech executive who recently sold his company, will base their final decision on buying into the Natick building on whether it will have the luxuries they want: a concierge and valet parking, parking for guests, and design elements like a fireplace, granite countertops, and cherry cabinets.

The view, though, doesn't bother her. The penthouse would offer vistas of woods in one direction. Elsewhere she can look down on the stores and busy streets beyond.

''I just don't think I would mind looking at that world," DePristo said.