Housing growth booms in county

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John E. Chambers/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

John Keith, Topeka, raises metal forms for pouring basement walls on a new home in Kelshar Ridge Estates, northwest of Topeka. A finished home is shown in the background.

By John E. Chambers

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

NORTH TOPEKA --- Residential construction in northern Shawnee County has boomed recently due to a combination of low interest rates and reopening of the improved US-75 highway and 46th Street interchange.

The newest developments

The latest development of single family homes is Linwood Subdivision at N.W. 46th and Green Hills Road, now in its first of three phases of construction of a subdivision of mid-range houses.

All but 16 of the 42 lots offered in the first phase have been sold in the subdivision, which will include a Catholic church and school at the corner or 46th and Green Hills Road, and a large pond that has been dredged to make it larger and deeper. About 12 building sites border the pond.

The first sale of a Linwood site was in January 2003. That sale was delayed for a year while a new plat was drawn up to accommodate the church, said Stan Zimmerman. Zimmerman and his wife, Brenda, are the project marketers with Prudential Greater Topeka Realtors. The development is financed by Central National Bank, which also is working with those buyers who do not seek their own financing.

Linwood's developers, Kent and Vikki Lindemuth, began working on the housing development a couple years ago and got a preliminary plat approved before the church site was sold. They are now deciding when to start the next phase of building, which would connect the completed structures at 64th Street all the way to N.W. 50th. A varied terrain and the ability of buyers to choose their own contractors will give variation to the housing, preventing a "cookie cutter" appearance, Zimmerman said.

The minimum size for houses ranging from $150,000 up to $225,000 is 1,500 square feet for a ranch style house to 1,700 square feet for other styles. Prices for building sites range from $17,900 to $24,000. Prices in the second and third phases should be about the same, Zimmerman said.

All houses will have two-car garages and a front sidewalk. The cost of sidewalks will be included in the site prices. Sewers also will be included in the cost of the lots, so the only special assessments will be for street improvements, Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman is aiming at "kind of a move-up market for families, although we have seen some who live up north and want a newer home to downsize a little."

Zimmerman said the subdivision would have "great access to new shopping at 46th and US-75 highway, as well as good access to Topeka. Also, the church going in there will make it a real nice community."

Sterling Chase, a subdivision for single family homes, and Northrock Apartments, a development for leased apartments and town houses, are located between Button Road on the east and the new US- 75 highway and 46th Street intersection. The two developments are adjacent to Hunter's Ridge commercial center on the north side of 46th Street.

Ann Adams, a marketer for Sterling Chase, said the Aug. 11 re- opening of the intersection restored its convenient connection to Harrah's Prairie Band Casino to the north and Topeka's downtown and the Westridge Mall to the south. That stimulated the sale of nine single family lots in Sterling Chase in the first two weeks following the opening of the intersection with its roundabout.

Jared Barta, manager of the Northrock Apartments, said traffic flowed much smoother after the highway construction was finished, and the apartment complex office has received 10 more telephone inquiries a day.

Adams said the sale of those nine Sterling Chase lots brought total lot sales since last April to 15. Twenty lots remain for sale in the first phase of the development.

Sterling Chase is three years into its first round of construction. There are 274 lots lots in all in the three-phase development. Forty-seven single family lots have been sold since the start of sales. Lot prices range from $28,500 to $37,500.

The development of sites for both single and multiple family housing adjacent to Hunter's Ridge has stimulated continued development of the commercial area because of the growing potential customer base, Adams said.

"We look at it as a community development, with commercial, multi- family and single family housing," he said.

Adams said among the attractions of Sterling Chase and Northrock are their proximity to Seaman district schools, all underground utilities, no special assessments (the costs of improvements are included in the lot prices), and a paved walking path around the area. Buyers may choose their own contractors, although she highly recommends the builders who have been working with the developers, Meadowlark Square.

Barta said Northrock Apartments, now in its third phase, has 136 finished units and 132 more in progress. Two buildings containing the two bedroom, 1 1/2 bath town homes are occupied now, and two more will be ready for occupancy in five weeks. The first phase of the multi-family development was started in 1999, and the second phase was completed in 2001. The third phase, which is scheduled for completion by the end of October, will bring the total units to 168. All are leased units.

Occupancy is now at 93 percent.

Expanding existing

subdivisions

Jim Hurt bought land in northwest Shawnee County with the intention of opening a golf course. But a few years later he changed his mind and instead developed Kendallwood Estates on 46th Street, which filled up in 1998. He is now adding to the Kendallwood Estates development.

Hurt set out in 1998 to install the Kelshar Ridge large-lot subdivision, just west of the north end of Northwest Brickyard Road. The first development consisted of about 17 sites. Another 19 lots are now planned.

Hurt said sales started out briskly, then took a downward turn after 9-11. However, he said it "picked up drastically this year." Now only five lots remain in the newest development. Most are three- acre sites, but there also are some two-acre sites and others up to five acres. The homes are valued at $200,000 and up, he said.

All are single family residences that are connected to full utilities, such as natural gas, rural water, telephone and Cox high speed Internet service.

Buyers may choose their own contractor, but plans must be reviewed by the developer. The minimum size is 1,650 square feet for a ranch style home. Other requirements in the subdivision are for triple car garages, some stone and brick on the front, and 35-year Timberline shingles on the roofs.

There are no sidewalks, curbing or guttering. There are asphalt roads, which carry a special assessment for homeowners.

There is a 14-acre shared lake for some property owners, and a couple of shared ponds for other lots. All are walk-out sites, with typical walk-out basements.

At Hickory Ridge Estates, contractors are expanding the development and expect to start digging sewers any time for Estates No. Nine at 35th and Hickory Ridge Lane.

Hickory Ridge Estates is located along what had been the detour route to the southeast of the US-75 and 46th Street intersection. That subdivision has been owned for the last six months by Charles Nations, of Nations Development Corp, and was started about seven years ago. About 150 homes are from the first phase of subdivision construction are completed, Nations said.

The new addition contains about 28 lots. Nations said his development corporation has sold and closed on one of the lots with a house, and is working on three other sites. Houses and lots are sold together as units. Nations Homebuilders, also owned by Charles Nations, is building all of the houses in the subdivision.

Prices on the Hickory Ridge Estate Homes range from $200,000 up to $500,000. There are special assessments for sewers and streets. Hookup fees for the sewer have been paid already. Utilities all are underground. About three-fourths of the homes will be walkouts, Nations said.

John E. Chambers is a writer and photographer who lives in North Topeka. He can be reached at 234-6773 or by e-mail at [email protected].

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