Established in the 1920s, Lake Hills remained a popular 27-hole public golf course for decades, until the manicured greens and fairways of newly introduced local country clubs began attracting area golfers away from its pristine natural environment.
Today, this incredible 320-acre site has been transformed into a neighborhood unmatched for its natural beauty and amenities. Featuring a rolling wooded terrain that encompasses a tranquil 38-acre lake, fishing pier, club house and amphitheatre plus lovely executive homes with many valued well over $1,000,000, Lake Hills is flanked by Olthof's upscale Easy Living maintenance-free Townhomes and Paired Cottage homes.
To ensure the proper maintenance and longevity of Lake Hill's unique combination of natural and man-made amenities, developer V3 Realty Company, LLC has turned control of the 3 existing parks, club house and amphitheatre to the town of St. John. The open spaces of Lake Hills, which have been a part of the community for over 70 years, now offer an extension of the bicycle and pedestrian path, live concerts at the amphitheatre and a new park building with access to the public areas on the lake.
The unique combination of Lake Hill's historical significance and resort-like setting make it the ideal setting for Olthof Homes' to meet the needs of upscale buyers seeking the convenience of maintenance-free living in this exceptional community.
"Lake Hills is definitely a departure from Olthof Homes' typical development," Carmen Ware, Olthof Homes sales manager, said. "Unlike most of our communities which we develop from the ground up, corner to corner, we purchased this land from V3 Realty. We have found that there is a pent up demand for upscale maintenance-free homes with an opportunity to have lower levels. The terrain of this particular development lends itself very well to that. Plus, all of the beautiful and luxurious neighboring single-family homes make this an incredible value for our buyers, another hallmark of Olthof communities."
With approximately 1/3 of Lake Hills being developed by Olthof, the Paired Cottage homes border the south end of the community and the Townhomes are located on the north side. There will be a total of 206 Olthof homes, 90 Paired Cottages and 116 Townhomes. All of the homes include a number of upscale features inside and out, with concrete driveways and ? brick exteriors featuring authentic stone and cedar accents for starters.
In new construction, Olthof Homes currently offers the Pinehurst Paired Cottage home and 4 unique Townhome floor plans in Lake Hills. Most plans include finished lookout and walkout lower levels with additional bedroom and game room options. You also have a wide selection of fine finishes available to choose from including granite tops, cherry cabinets and oil rubbed bronze plumbing and light fixtures to name just a few. The entire selection is on display in the Olthof Homes Design Center conveniently located on Route 41 across from Lake Central High School.
"We knew this was a prime location," Ware said. "But the response has really been amazing at Lake Hills. I think when people visit the community and see all of the custom homes they realize what a great place this is going to be to live. It's especially exciting to see how many people are embracing our maintenance-free lifestyle and are truly blown away by our spacious our floor plans and all of the options we have available to meet their individual needs."
Starting in the low $200s, the 2,063 square foot Pinehurst Paired Cottage home can be built with 2-4 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms and a 2 car garage. You can also choose from options such as an entertainment center for the den or lower level walkout/lookout that can include a sunroom and/or great room with a bedroom and full bath, plus lower level laundry.
"What really surprises people is how bright and spacious the lower levels are," Ware said. "Even with all of the added luxury options that offer some very desirable living space, there is still an incredibly large unfinished storage area that pleasantly surprises them."
Right now, Olthof Homes has a Pinehurst model and 3 Ready to Move In maintenance-free Paired Cottage homes in Lake Hills ranging in price from $229,322 to $313,374 that demonstrate a wide range of the available floor plan and amenity options.
There is also a model of the Augusta Townhome, which has proven to be quite popular due to the number of customizable options, according to Ware. The Townhomes at Lake Hills range between the $170s and $220s in combinations of 2 and 3 floors, 1-4 bedrooms, 1 ? -3 baths all with 2 car garages.
"These are truly ranch homes with all the benefits of 2-stories," Ware said. "It's fun to see the way people light up when they walk into their first model and see all of the potential with the added lower levels. The townhomes at Lake Hills are definitely designed to accommodate people who enjoy entertaining."
To learn more about your options for maintenance-free living in Lake Hills, visit the Olthof Homes sales center which is open Saturday from 10am-5pm, Monday-Thursday from 11am-6pm and Friday 11am-5pm. You can also call Chris Gruhlke at (219) 365-3674 or log on to the Olthof Homes website at HYPERLINK "http://www.olthofhomes.com" www.olthofhomes.com. Lake Hills is located on W. 85th St. just east of Route 41.
