Monday, February 29, 2016

What’s the Grove all about?

As we welcome our newest residents to the Grove neighborhood, we should pause to reflect on what's drawing discerning buyers to the latest homes in our award-winning Grow Community.

We promised urban living with nature at every doorstep, and that's what we're delivering.

Homeowners in Grove buildings will enjoy close connection to the signature woodland that gives this corner of Grow its name. A mix of native trees and understory will bring the Northwest forest into the very heart of the neighborhood, complementing the fruit trees and gardens thriving elsewhere around the project.

Ultra-efficient home construction, renewable materials and low-impact fixtures promise a healthy lifestyle within each of these 5 Star Built Green homes, while our rooftop solar arrays allow residents to ease their reliance on the grid - and even put power back into it for others to use.

Our generous open spaces and community gardens - inspired by centuries-old European towns, designed around central squares and greens - promote connection and interaction, really putting the "neighbor" in our neighborhoods.

We put the focus on intergenerational living in the Grove, imagining homes as inviting to a 73 year old as a toddler. Sixty percent of homes will be fully accessible, with convenient single-level living and private elevators from our parking garages that will let residents "age in place" by design. Oh, and about that parking - it's underground, keeping vehicles off the street and out of sight while letting us preserve so much open space between homes.



Proximity to Winslow's urban core means local merchants, services and amenities are just steps away along the public paths that radiate out from Grow Community's neighborhood core.

As the Grove takes final shape and we turn our attention to our third and final neighborhood, the Park (centerpiece: yes, a park), we are proud of what we have accomplished and how our vision has translated in the market. Most of all we're delighted for our many new neighbors and friends of Grow Community.

Friday, February 26, 2016

Grow Community Construction Update: New lights, and other highlights

Completion of the Salal building has brought some comment about the exterior stair lighting on the north side of the building along Wyatt Way. The present lights are only temporary, put in to allow the building's first residents to move in safely.

The finished lighting design will be completed within a few weeks. We're excited about the final look - lighting that's both functional and subdued - and we think the community will be satisfied as well.

Meanwhile, elsewhere around the Grove:

The Elan building will be completed this month, with new residents moving in. We're planning a "Solar Social" to introduce these homeowners to Grow Community's solar options.

The Tsuga roof and windows all be installed in early March. Also completed in the next few weeks: finishing touches on the underground parking. The Salal's garage elevators are already up and running.

Interior work at the Juniper is well underway and should be complete by mid-April, while the first Woodland Homes are "dried in" and ready for interior work and exterior siding.

Finally, the Grove is becoming a grove. Landscaping progress has been dramatic, with new plantings in areas behind the Elan and elsewhere around our newest neighborhood really taking shape. Expect to see new swaths of green through March - just in time for spring.