by Matt Wright
The Willows at the Lake, the name for the townhomes at The Lake District, is officially under construction. “As promised, we’re going vertical today,” Yehuda Netanel told me as we met on the site this morning. Mr. Netanel walked me thru the layout of the upscale townhomes just as the rain started to enter the Lakeland area. Four townhomes are being built now and those will act as the model homes for the various styles. Construction on the other 109 townhomes will continue from there.
The two-story townhomes are a significant part of the massive mixed-use project. While most of the focus on the project so far has been the retail aspect, Mr. Netanel was just as excited about the residential side of his dream. “People want to live here because it’s inspiring,” he said. The community will be golf cart friendly and the developer paints a romantic picture of residents driving their golf cart to the retail district for dinner or coffee or to simply enjoy a spin class in the morning. “That’s part of our approach to wellness,” he says, adding, “we want to create an environment that filters down to the residents’ well-being.”
The townhomes offer a variety of elevations and layouts, from colonial and farmhouse to French country and craftsman. Each will have a rear loading 2 car garage, as well as a side courtyard and upgraded finishes throughout. But one surprise so far is the interest in contemporary designs being offered by the California developer. Contemporary architecture is not common in Shelby County, but Mr. Netanel says the modern design of the townhomes has a lot of interest from buyers because it’s so unique. “Yes, 40% (of potential buyers) are interested in the contemporary design,” he confirmed.
The townhomes, and the single-family homes, which will begin construction later, are virtually maintenance free, which is a trait that’s attractive to empty nesters of all ages. Mr. Netanel said that is the market demographic currently showing the most interest in the homes. “Since there is no maintenance to worry about, you can leave the home for a month or two. Travel, do whatever you like. Just lock the door and forget about it,” he said.
He takes pride in the amount of detail that has gone into the townhomes themselves, saying outlets will be placed in certain positions throughout the house for very specific reasons.
He’s also happy about the single stalk crape myrtles that will line the streets of the townhomes. “Have you ever seen a single stalk crape myrtle?” he asked me. I told him I don’t believe I have. “Let’s get in the car and go look at some,” he said. The crape myrtles, 70 of them in fact, are waiting at a local nursery waiting for construction to get further along so they can be delivered. “Every street will have these trees lining the road and each street will have a different color. So one street will have red crape myrtles, one will have white, pink, purple, etc. Each street will be unique,” he said. He reiterated that’s just one of many small details that make The Lake District unlike anything seen in the market.
“Good architecture and planning play an important role in the human wellness experience,” he said. Finishing with “and that’s what we want for our residents at The Lake District.”
