As we build the Grow Community we will be chronicling our progress. This is the place for updates!

Winter marches on, so too the final touches on Grow Community phase 2, the Grove

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Finishing crews are now wrapping up the Tsuga’s “tall skinny” unit with its unique three-floor layout, while two recent sales elsewhere in the building mean we’ll be welcoming some more new residents to the community soon.

Meanwhile in the final phase of Grow, the Park:

The Lilac townhomes are coming along apace, with the completion date and move-ins beginning this spring. These fine 2 and 3-bedroom townhomes are now for sale.

Just across the grounds, work on the Sage is in full swing, with the roof nearing completion and finish crews going to town inside.

Permitting for the Trillium and Meadow Homes at the south end of the Park is still in process, but we are already prepping for work by removing excess dirt from the site. Progress on the Community Center (currently an expansive concrete slab) will resume once the framing crew is available.

And out in the Park grounds, site paths and concrete work continue as we begin knitting together “greater Grow”– the Village and Grove neighborhoods will soon be linked with the front of the Lilac by convenient pedestrian paths.

With the dark days of winter still upon us, can spring be far behind?

No! And that means you’ll soon see more landscaping work in both neighborhoods, as we do a final tidy-up of the Grove and work our way through the Park toward Shepard Way.

 

Come inside and look around — without leaving your chair

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Want to experience Grow Community, but don’t have time to visit our model home?

Now you can take a virtual tour with a click of your mouse. Here’s a 360-degree video tour of our 2 bedroom model unit in the new Tsuga building in Grow phase 2, the Grove.

As the video rolls, use your mouse to scroll all around the room and even the grounds outside. See for yourself the spacious floor plans, fine craftsmanship and eco-friendly features — it’s almost like being here!

Note: To watch 360° videos, you need the latest version of the Chrome, Opera, Firefox or Internet Explorer browser. On mobile devices, use the latest version of the YouTube app.

There’s no place like Grow for the holidays

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As the holidays approach, Grow Community puts a bow on another building and welcomes another season of lights across our beautiful neighborhoods.

In the Grove neighborhood, we’ve been approved for occupancy of the new 2-bedroom homes in the Tsuga building, and hope to see new residents joining us there in January. The “tall skinny” 3-floor home at the Tsuga is now nearing completion, and we’re checking off remaining punch-list items throughout the building.

Progress in the Park neighborhood continues with the Community Center‘s framing, roof and window work beginning next month and completion expected in spring.

 At the Lilac Townhomes, siding and interior work are well underway and the homes should be ready in late April. The Sage condominiums follow with roof and window work up next and anticipated completion in July.

That leaves only the Trillium and the Meadow Homes, which await building permits from the City – we look forward to starting these final structures so we can begin tidying up the last of our spaces and Grow Community moves toward final buildout.

We are grateful for everyone’s patience, as the big and small details come together and we move into our final year of construction.

Best and happy holidays to all!

Construction Update: As Thanksgiving Approaches…

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With Thanksgiving almost here, we’re grateful for great new neighbors in the Grove and great progress throughout the Grow Community project.

All Woodland Homes are now complete and residents moved in, with only small punch-list items left to do. The Tsuga building is now partially occupied, with the remaining units ready for move-in this month. The ‘Tall and Skinny’ home will be wrapping up as well (ask about this very unique unit at our model home).

Landscaping in “The Knuckle” area west of the Woodland homes will begin this month, with connecting paths between the Village and Grove neighborhoods to be open by the end of the year.

In our third and final neighborhood, the Park, the Lilac and Sage are both progressing very well – both will have roofs on before the end of November.

Community Center framing will also be done before the calendar turns. Our goal is to get this building “dried in,” after which we’ll focus on community-supported decisions for the finish work.

Finally, the Trillium and Meadow Homes are both in varied stages of permitting. We hope to start these as soon as possible.

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Construction Update: Autumn settles in, Grow construction strides on

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Leaves are turning in the Grove as our second neighborhood settles into autumn, with completion due before the darker months descend.

The Tsuga multifamily building pushes forward at a steady pace with completion of half the units by end of September, and the remainder the following month.The last Woodland Home at the south end of the grounds is also scheduled for a September wrapup and occupancy.

Final landscaping around the Grove will begin mid-September, with construction activity quieted down by Halloween.

In the Park, our third and final neighborhood, framing of the Sage and Lilac buildings move along smoothly and should be done in October, when roofing will commence. The plan is to “dry in” and begin interior work prior to winter setting in. The Trillium and Meadow homes are going in for permitting, with a push to begin garage construction this year.
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The Park’s central greenway is now being graded and stabilized for the rainy season, with “Fleur de Lawn” field and landscaping to begin in the spring of 2017.

Bridging the Grove and the Park is our Community Center, and permits are now in hand with foundation and framing coming very soon?

What do we have planned for this new community gathering place? A flexible, simple and beautiful space that honors our One Planet goals of mindful, low-impact living.

Summer draws us to the Park

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You can’t say Grow without Community – and our next phase, the Park, puts an exclamation point on it!

Our planned Community Center (to be constructed at the north end of the Park) is now under review by the city, and we’re counting on input from the public as we move the project forward. Watch for more news about the center and your chance to help us shape what is sure to be a great amenity.

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Elsewhere in the Park, midsummer finds foundations for the Sage and Lilac buildings are complete, with framing to begin next week. We expect framing for both structures to go up quickly, as we’re “panelizing” the construction to reduce onsite waste.

The Trillium multifamily building, which will anchor the south end of the grounds, is going through final designs and should be in for city review soon.

Meanwhile our second phase, the Grove, begins to wind down with ongoing move-ins and final wrap-up set for fall.

Grow recently “went live” on the Multiple Listing Service through Windermere, and demand is hot! Several homes went under contract within hours, and a flurry of new inquiries rolled in from prospective buyers.

Join them! Stop by the Grow Community model unit today, and see the fine new homes are coming online by the week.

Three flavors of multifamily solar at Grow Community

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Condos, apartments, townhomes – three flavors of multifamily construction, each with its own challenges for reaping the power, and financial benefits, of solar investment.

Asani development company is tackling all three at once at Grow Community.

On buildings dubbed the Salal, the Juniper and the Elan, now complete in the project’s expansive second phase, solar arrays will benefit both homebuyers and renters alike.

One roof apiece, with many beneficiaries beneath.

“Our investors said, ‘let’s go for it,'” said Greg Lotakis, Asani president and Grow Community project manager. “Without their desire to be the largest solar community in Washington, and wanting to plant the solar flag in the ground, we wouldn’t be doing this. Without their support, it wouldn’t be possible.”
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The Salal condominiums, with 12 units spread over three stories, is effectively a “community solar” project on a rooftop. Solar was included in the purchase price – no option – and incentives from the State of Washington will be apportioned equally among condominium owners, with each owning a one-twelfth interest in the array.

Asani worked with state officials and the local utility provider to craft a program that satisfies the complicated provisions of Washington law.

The opening was a provision allowing common use of single roof for solar in multifamily buildings. Asani banked on prospective buyers seeing shared solar as a good investment as they bought their condo units, one that promised annual paybacks while lowering operational costs of their building through solar harvest.

Solar was designed into the Salal building. A single production meter monitors total system output, while 12 sub-meters track consumption in individual units for utility billing.

Buyers are rolling the cost of solar, about $15,000 per unit, into their mortgages to take advantage of low interest rates at the time of purchase.

“We wanted it very clean and divisible by all the owners,” Lotakis said. “I think it would be pretty difficult for six, 10, 12 people to come together and agree upon how the system would work after the fact. This gave us a chance to just deliver it.”

Lotakis expects the 44kW array to produce about $1,500 in incentives per unit annually – cumulatively much higher than the state’s $5,000 cap on incentives for a single-family residence.

Next door at the 12-unit Juniper apartment building, the 44kW rooftop array is similar but the equation is different. Renters will enjoy the benefits of solar production through net-metering, but not the annual state solar rebate. That will go to the building’s single owner, and will max out at the state’s $5,000 cap.

The two-story Elan townhomes presented the most straightforward challenge. Individual 6-9kW solar packages are offered for each section of the common roof. No modules will cross the “virtual lot lines,” making each system self-contained within the owner’s patch of rooftop. Three systems have been installed so far.

Growing neighborhood solar

From project inception, Asani set out to build the most environmentally friendly development possible.

Relentless sourcing of renewable materials and low-impact fixtures, and close connection to the island’s town center, have positioned Grow Community in the marketplace for healthy lifestyle-conscious buyers.

The project’s first phase is noted for its shared pea-patch gardens and winding footpaths through close-set homes. The second and third phases are oriented around a woodland grove and open greenway.

The project has earned recognition in national magazines and won awards from local and national homebuilder associations. It is only the second planned community in North America to be certified under the One Planet Living standards.

Grow’s first phase of 23 detached units sold out immediately, and every homeowner chose to add the solar package.
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Asani has also showcased Made In Washington components to support the state’s solar industry.

Modules at the Salal are by Itek Energy of Bellingham, while the Juniper and Elan arrays include APsystems microinverters manufactured and distributed by Blue Frog Solar of Poulsbo.

Using a mix of in-state and out-of-state components allows Asani to achieve different price points for buyers while optimizing local incentives where possible.

Lotakis cautions that Grow Community’s multifamily solar program relies on particularities in Washington law. Multifamily programs elsewhere would face their own challenges, although he believes Grow offers a useful model for developers nationwide to consider.

With the Salal building only recently certified for occupancy, new residents have no comparative data on their energy savings. But the solar component was attractive, as it has been to buyers throughout the three-neighborhood, 142-home project due to be completed in late 2017.

“Solar was a factor,” one new resident said, “along with a development that encourages a sense of community.”

Between the federal tax credit and annual rebates from the state, Lotakis said, owners buying into the Salal condominiums could have their share of the common array paid off within five years.

“And because they’ve rolled the cost of solar into their mortgage, they don’t really see it,” he said.
“Those production checks will be like a dividend.”

The Grove is wrapping up, now on to the Park

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Summer finds us buttoning up – that is, putting the finishing touches on Grow Community’s second neighborhood, the Grove.

Setting the pace is the Juniper at the north end of the grounds. New residents are now moving in, and the rooftop solar system is online and producing energy to offset the building’s needs. The largest planned solar community in Washington state keeps raising the bar!

The Tsuga now has its roof, with siding following in short order. Before July ends the building will look finished from the outside as work turns inward, with completion and move-in dates set for fall.
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The Woodland Homes at the south end of the Grove are nearing completion and should be finished by August. All of our buyers to date are adding solar, and you could be next – one home remains available, with an expansive 400 sf. outdoor deck among its many fine features and appointments.

And if you’ve not visited the Grove lately, you’ve missed the generous plantings that give this neighborhood its name. Landscape touchup is slated for the end of summer as the swath of young trees and shrubs begin to settle in for the cooler months.

Attention now turns to our third and final neighborhood, the Park. Work has commenced on the Sage and Lilac, where foundations are underway and should be completed by the end of this month – framing to follow, and pre-sales to be announced soon as well.

Intrigued? Why wait! Comfortable and inviting units are still available for purchase throughout the Grove. Three-bedroom homes are available for move-in today, with more 2-bedroom units coming online this fall.

Rentals, too: 2- and 3-bedroom units in the Juniper are ready immediate move-in. Visit Grow Community and see our model home today!

Construction is apace and sales are brisk at Grow phase 2, the Grove!

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We are excited to report that Salal building solar went live on April 29. It has been a long road to this point, but the building’s rooftop is now producing energy. And there’s more to come – the first round of Elan owners should be seeing solar installed later in May.

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The Woodland homes at the south end of the Grove have taken shape, along with the Tsuga bilding, with completion expected from late June through August.

Sales-wise, our rental building, the Juniper, is now fully reserved. The building should be completed with first move-ins by the end of this month.

Two units remain available in the owner-occupied Salal building – the current model home, and a three-bedroom unit. Inquire within!

Finally: Big news on our Community Center will be coming soon, and permits for our next phase the Park are now in hand. Our construction crews will continue their steady migration south to this final phase very soon.

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Construction Update: New lights, and other highlights

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grove-construction-update2-2016-562x1024Completion of the Salal building has brought some comment about the exterior stair lighting on the north side of the building along Wyatt Way. The present lights are only temporary, put in to allow the building’s first residents to move in safely.

The finished lighting design will be completed within a few weeks. We’re excited about the final look – lighting that’s both functional and subdued – and we think the community will be satisfied as well.

Meanwhile, elsewhere around the Grove:

The Elan building will be completed this month, with new residents moving in. We’re planning a “Solar Social” to introduce these homeowners to Grow Community’s solar options.

The Tsuga roof and windows all be installed in early March. Also completed in the next few weeks: finishing touches on the underground parking. The Salal’s garage elevators are already up and running.

Interior work at the Juniper is well underway and should be complete by mid-April, while the first Woodland Homes are “dried in” and ready for interior work and exterior siding.

Finally, the Grove is becoming a grove. Landscaping progress has been dramatic, with new plantings in areas behind the Elan and elsewhere around our newest neighborhood really taking shape. Expect to see new swaths of green through March – just in time for spring.