Premier St. John community emerging
on former golf course site
What had been a popular 27-hole public golf
course since its construction in the 1920s,
the 320-acre site known as Lake Hills is
rapidly being transformed into a high-end
neighborhood.
With construction well under way, this new
community features upscale maintenance-free
town homes and paired-cottage homes, along
with custom or semi-custom single-family
homes throughout its rolling wooded terrain
that encompasses a tranquil 38-acre lake,
community center and outdoor amphitheater.
Since purchasing the Lake Hills property,
owner V3 Realty Co. LLC has turned over
control of the three existing parks, community
center and amphitheater to the town of St.
John. Some of the plans for this open space,
which has been a part of the community for
more than 70 years, include an extension
of the bicycle and pedestrian path, relaxing
open-air concerts at the amphitheater and
a new park building with access to the public
areas on the lake.
It was this unique combination of the land's
historical significance and resort-like
setting that appealed to builder/developer
Olthof Homes, who has custom-tailored its
winning formula for maintenance-free living
to meet the needs of this community's upscale
buyers.
"Lake Hills is definitely a departure
from Olthof Homes' typical development process,''
said Carmen Ware, sales manager. "Unlike
most of our communities that we purchase
the land and develop from the ground up,
we purchased the already developed land
from V3 Realty. We have found that there
is a significant demand for upscale maintenance-free
homes with an opportunity to have lower
levels. The terrain of this particular development
lends itself very well to that. Plus, all
of the beautiful and luxurious neighboring
single-family homes make this an incredible
value for our buyers, another hallmark of
Olthof communities.''
With Lake Hills' grand opening planned for
Sept. 17, Olthof Homes has been working
diligently to put the finishing touches
on the seven furnished models there. In
the meantime, buyers curious about the community
have been keeping the staff busy, with a
total of 34 homes already sold at pre-construction
pricing. Amazingly, a few residents are
currently enjoying their homes and looking
forward to welcoming new neighbors.
"We knew this was a prime location,''
Ware said. "But the response has really
been amazing at Lake Hills. I think when
people visit the community and see the value
of being surrounded by custom homes they
realize what a great investment this is
going to be. It's especially exciting to
see how many people are embracing the maintenance-free
lifestyle and are impressed by our spacious
floor plans and all of the options we have
available to meet their individual needs.''
With approximately one-third of Lake Hills
being developed by Olthof, the paired-cottage
homes border the south end of the community
and the town homes are located on the north
side. There will be 206 total homes, 90
of which will be paired-cottages and 116
town homes. All of the homes will include
a number of upscale features inside and
out, with concrete driveways and three-quarter
brick exteriors with authentic stone accents
for starters.
There are two paired-paired cottage floor
plans, the 1,630 square foot Canterbury
is available in a two-bedroom ranch plan
only and has an option for a third bedroom
in place of the den. The 1,620-square-foot
Pinehurst also has a two- or three-bedroom
ranch plan option, but can include an entertainment
center option for the den, plus lower level
options that include an upper level walkout/lookout,
lower level sunroom and/or great room with
a bedroom and full bath, and also an option
for a lower level laundry.
"What really surprises people is how
bright and spacious the lower levels are,''
Ware said. "Even with all of the added
luxury options that offer some very desirable
living space, there is still an incredibly
large unfinished storage area that pleasantly
surprises them.''
Olthof Homes created three unique floor
plans for the town homes at Lake Hills.
Ranging from 1,600 to 2,130 square feet,
they are designed to enhance the magnificent
views, have two levels and include both
upper and lower level lookout options.
The Inverness includes two bedrooms, one
on each level, with attached bathrooms and
walk-in closets. This plan offers a finished
great room, bedroom and bathroom on the
lower level. The Augusta, which is proving
to be very popular at this point, possibly
due to its flexible yet luxurious design
options according to Ware, can have one
to three bedrooms and up to three bathrooms,
including a deluxe master bath option. The
largest model of the three, the Muirfield,
offers two or three bedrooms and a lower
level walkout option to its spacious floor
plan. All of these models are available
on beautiful wooded homesites.
"These are truly ranch homes with all
the benefits of two stories,'' Ware said.
"It's fun to see the way people light
up when they walk into their first model
and see all of the potential living space
with the added lower levels. The town homes
at Lake Hills are definitely designed to
accommodate people who enjoy life.''
To visit the Olthof Homes models at Lake
Hills take U.S. 41 south to 93rd Avenue
and turn left. Follow the winding road to
Deodor and turn left again. The paired-cottage
homes information center is located on the
left hand side of the first street beyond
the community's entrance at 9933 Prairie
Knoll Court. The town home information center
is located north on Crooked Bend to Forest
Glen Court to Lake Hills Drive, with a right
turn leading into 9942 Oakwood Court. Models
are open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through
Thursdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. For more information,
call Nikki Kreykes or Chris Gruhlke at (219)
365-8555 or (219) 365-3674.
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