Grow Community featured in Dwell

If it wasn’t a challenge, it wouldn’t be worth doing.

That’s the conclusion of Dwell magazine, which spent time at Grow Community recently and liked what they saw.
Grow is currently featured at Dwell.com, the online portal that bills itself “At home in the modern world.”

“Who said making a better world would be easy?” the magazine says. “Just ask the cast of characters involved in Grow Community, a development on Washington’s Bainbridge Island that was designed with the ambitious goal of encouraging social interaction while achieving net-zero energy status. Building for the future, they’ve learned, is a constant work in progress.”

Read this great feature online at www.dwell.com.

Happy Holidays from your friends at Grow Community

There’s no place like Grow for the holidays

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!

Now Available at the Grove

Happy Thanksgiving

It’s been another bounteous year at Grow Community, four vibrant seasons of progress and positive change.

Our pace-setting solar program earned recognition in the national press, as we used a clever combination of tax credits, incentives and pricing to put energy-producing arrays on three different flavors of multifamily homes in the Grove neighborhood – condominiums, townhomes and apartments. Washington’s largest planned-solar community – that’s us! – continues to set an example for renewable energy development nationwide.

French television featured Grow Community on its globe-trotting Echo-Logis program, highlighting the greenest, most forward-thinking communities around the world. Even if you don’t speak French, you can still enjoy the half-hour program and the stunning videography of our neighborhoods and our island.

Thanksgiving dinner. Roasted turkey with pumpkins and sunflowers on wooden table

Thanksgiving dinner. Roasted turkey with pumpkins and sunflowers on wooden table

Thinking globally and acting locally, we donated cedar construction waste to local grade school students to fashion “Mason Bee House Kits” for island bees. It was Grow Community’s latest contribution to the Pollinator Improvement Plan, an island-wide effort to bolster living and foraging space for bees, birds and other pollinators that are the linchpins of a healthy ecosystem.

And we welcomed many new neighbors, as the Salal and Juniper buildings, the Elan townhomes and Woodland homes were wrapped up and presented to eager buyers. Greetings!

As we pause together for a day of gratitude, we’re grateful for the wealth of enthusiasm, support and neighborliness we get from each of you throughout the year. At this special time, we are pleased to say:

Thanks-Growing!

Construction Update: As Thanksgiving Approaches…

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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Built Green gives Grow 5 Stars

Weather-tight outside, snug and warm within. Built Green gives Grow Community phase 2, the Grove, a prestigious 5 Star rating in its new online feature.

Built Green cites Grow homes’ excellent standards for energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and top-quality materials in home that “cultivate a healthy, happy, and sustainable community for all ages.”

Built Green helps homebuyers find quality, affordable homes that offer opportunities to protect the health of their families and the Northwest environment. Built Green homes are designed to provide homeowners with comfortable, durable, environmentally friendly homes that are cost-effective to own and operate.

These resource-efficient homes are crafted to exceed building codes and provide homeowners with years of healthy, quality living, while protecting our families and the precious Northwest environment.

Read the Built Green feature on Grow Community here.

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Autumn sunshine, robust pumpkins and fresh-pressed apple cider

The Grow Community Harvest Fest was great fun for residents on a recent October weekend. As kids carved their Halloween jack-o-lanterns, adults took turns peeling fresh Washington apples and running them through an old-fashioned press to yield many jugs of sweet, golden goodness. Thank you to all who attended this great neighborhood celebration!

A 5 Minute Lifestyle

Everything your family needs for a healthy, happy lifestyle is within easy distance of Grow Community. Local merchants and grocers, the library, fine cafes and coffee shops, theaters and museums, parks, health clinics and schools … you can reach it all without ever getting behind the wheel.

We call it the “5-minute lifestyle,” and it’s just one of the features that makes Grow such an attractive choice for homebuyers seeking a simpler, more mindful way of living.

You’ll be amazed by all that’s waiting for you, just beyond your doorstep.
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Tread lightly on the earth, live healthy at Grow Community

When we set out to design the most sustainable, future-friendly community possible, we knew we were building more than homes. We were creating a whole new way of living, and a model for the world.

We started with the principles of One Planet Living – promoting sustainable, healthy lifestyles through low-impact construction and high-quality materials. Culture, community, equity and economy were our guiding principles, health and happiness our end product.

We haven’t backed down from the challenge. Homes in our first two neighborhoods, the Village and the Grove, have earned national and international acclaim for their thoughtful design and construction. Each neighborhood is designed around vegetable gardens, fruit groves or open spaces, with native plants and vegetation creating natural and inviting places for children and adults to enjoy.

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Grow offers a “five minute lifestyle” where residents can walk/ride/roll to local amenities and urban attractions in Winslow town center, reducing dependency on the automobile. Spacious designs offer room for families, while single-level living options mean owners can age in place in security and comfort.

We’re all about bringing people together – a new community center will provide a space for classes, gatherings and community events, bringing residents and neighbors together throughout the seasons.

Along the way, Grow has become the largest planned solar community in Washington state – with more clean energy-producing rooftop PV systems being added all the time.

As we enter our third and final phase, the Park neighborhood, we’re proud of what we’ve achieved. A healthy community of satisfied residents and, we believe, an inspiration that others can follow for forward-thinking, sustainable urban design.

Visit Grow Community today, and let us share it with you – a new way of living, at one with the future and the world.