Developers seek older-neighborhood feel

ElkRidge Heights, a gated development in the south Valley with about 240 homes patterned after Spokane’s historic neighborhoods, is expected to break ground by August.

The project, located west of Highway 27, past 40th Avenue, will feature a mix of custom and spec houses starting at about $400,000, said Jim Maki, one of four project developers.

ElkRidge Development Group, which includes Pat Watson and two Northern California developers, received preliminary approval from Spokane County to start preparing sites. The developers expect final approval sometime in the next 45 days.

The group purchased the 90-acre site for an undisclosed price from Bernard Daines, founder of several successful technology companies, including World Wide Packets Inc.

Maki said the group hired Jonathan Hale, a historical architect from Boston, who took more than 1,500 photographs of local communities to create architectural guidelines for the project. Home styles will range from Craftsman to Victorian.

“We wanted to have more of the feel of some of the neighborhoods in Spokane,” Maki said.

Homes will sit on lots averaging just less than one-quarter acre and will feature pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and streetlights, he said. A 20-foot waterfall is planned for the entrance and two large ponds will be located in the development.

The project is expected to include seven builders, said Joe Mann, a Windermere City Group real estate agent who will be selling homes in the development.

Thus far that group includes Craftsman Homes, JTS Development and Cornerstone Construction.

Builder Team Solutions, a North Carolina-based company, will establish a management program that allows a buyer to select a home site, choose a builder and get a home that can be customized but also fits within a pre-established set of architectural and construction standards.

“We’re really excited about it because it’s such a different approach. This is a very team-oriented concept,” Mann said.

Because construction can’t start until the developers get final plat approval, interested buyers are submitting letters of intent. Maki said his group expects the project to appeal to empty nesters, but was surprised to see another demographic of potential buyers emerging.

“We’re seeing a lot of young professional families. We’re talking mid-30s to 40s. It’s a little different market than we actually thought we’d have.”