Wright Builders begins project at Village Hill - Ribbon cutting held at The Gatehouse

This fall, Wright Builders, Inc. will begin construction on its fourth residential project at Village Hill Northampton. The new 28-unit Upper Ridge neighborhood will bring to 56 the number of Energy Star and LEED-certified homes and townhomes built by Wright Builders at Village Hill - creating the first and largest "sustainable neighborhood" development in Massachusetts. Four phases of construction are planned over four years. The first four townhomes are now listed for occupancy in late summer 2014. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in October. The Upper Ridge neighborhood will offer buyers a choice of two, three and four-bedroom units, in two-story townhome styles, and single-level-living "flats." All designed by Kuhn Riddle Architects of Amherst, the first 4-unit townhomes will offer an early 19th-century archetypal Greek Revival farmhouse with a traditionally inspired "cookhouse" connector. Phase II will offer two building: a 2-unit Craftsman Townhome and the first of the Arts and Crafts flats, six single-level-living units with elevator accessibility. Phase III will consist of a second 6-unit "flats" building and the second 4-unit Greek Revival townhome. Two 4-unit Arts and Crafts townhomes in Phase IV will complete the Upper Ridge project, with expected occupancy in early 2017. The 28 new units will range in size from 1,310 to 1,788 s/f, and will feature a variety of amenities - elevator, private patios, balconies, convenient parking, garages, park frontage, professional landscaping, bedroom size options - depending on the unit. Based on performance results of first 28 Wright-built residences - all fully occupied - at Village Hill, the 28 new homes at The Upper Ridge will be the most energy-efficient, sustainable, comfortable, and healthiest homes available on the market today, all built to Energy Star and LEED Certified requirements. GreenBuilder Award-winning Wright Builders' homes continuously show that reducing the building's energy demand will result in a home that is more valuable, more comfortable, more efficient and sustainable. Goggins Real Estate is now marketing Phase I of The Upper Ridge neighborhood. Upon completion, the 28 new Upper Ridge residences will add an estimated market value of over $11 million to the City of Northampton property values. Recently, Mayor David Narkewicz lead a group of state and community leaders in cutting the ribbon for the Gatehouse, a commercial building in the project. The development of the former state hospital property includes a combination of residential, light industrial, and commercial use. The gatehouse became the first commercial building on the site and the emphasis is on going green. Fazzi Associates is one of the tenants of the new building. The 126-acre mixed use community is located less than a mile from downtown Northampton and is designed to be a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood of homes and businesses.