[November 22, 2008] Developer confident in project's success: Greens at Ashland open house today and Sunday Tweet Nov 22, 2008 (St. Joseph News-Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- It's not the best time to open a luxury housing development, Larry Goldberg acknowledges. But he believes the Greens at Ashland will succeed. "I just love that in the middle of all the gloom and doom, here in St. Joseph, we're doing something. We're doing it imaginatively and cost effective," said Mr. Goldberg, architect for the project. The Greens are located on 11 acres of property off Ashland Avenue, southeast of the intersection of Belt Highway and Karnes Road. "I loved this piece of land," he said. "I wanted to give it an identity and I wanted a community with a theme." With a country English feel, the villas are free-standing homes designed with empty-nest couples in mind. Mr. Goldberg interviewed many retirees to find out what they wanted. The houses start at $294,500, a price range the developers believe will be competitive in St. Joseph. The first phase calls for 31 houses, with six in the second phase. "I think there are plenty of families who want an alternative retirement home, but they don't want to move out east and we're hoping to capture some of them," Mr. Goldberg said. Many potential buyers have expressed interest, he said, but a lengthy process of changing the zoning delayed the planned construction opening. One model home is complete. Mr. Goldberg said they do not plan to build more houses until they have a contract. "Cool stuff is happening in town and we need to keep it going," he said. The Greens of Ashland will have an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. today and Sunday. Business Editor Susan Mires can be reached at [email protected]. To see more of the St. Joseph News-Press or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stjoenews-press.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]