BEACON FOR BUYERS

New Developments

Breaking Ground Coast to Coast – by Erin Massey

April 2006

The final batch of resort condos at Quechee lakes appeals to families seeking second home.

There was no blank canvas for the developer and architect of homes in Quechee Lakes, a luxury condo community in Hartford, VT. In fact, most of the picture had already been painted before Peter Carbone, managing partner for Taurus New England in Boston, acquired the property more than two years ago. There were already 1,300 homes and condominiums on the site, which had been zoned in the 1970’s. Today, there are 60 units left to build, though Carbone is working to gain approvals for 200 more.

In addition to the 60 units that are still in preliminary design phases, the development picture already contained plans for two projects called the Arlington and the Cabot, which Taurus took over and plans to finish up in the next six months. Both were limited by topography, says Holly Darzen, a principal at Boston-based architectural firm Linea 5. “There was only a narrow strip of land that we could even develop,” Darzen says. “The units on one side of the grade are dropping away downhill and the other side is uphill. Whatever was flat got the road.”

Even with the restrictions, Darzen and Carbone both say they could still focus on the buyer. “You have to know who your customer is, where they are coming from, and try to figure out what they are buying,” Carbone adds.

Carbone figured out that his buyers were heads of families – often with three generations living in the home – who wanted a second home for hobbies such as golfing or skiing. So the Arlington and the Cabot offer more playrooms for children, ground-level living space for aging parents, and places to store sports equipment. Carbone says bother are selling well,   despite the current housing slump. “We have no cut prices significantly to sell them,” Carbone says. –Erin Massey [M]

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