New Nashville neighborhoods focus on wellness

Chris Ricci loves outdoor activity. His wife, Arielle Ricci, is a yoga instructor. They are looking forward to living in one of the new wellness-focused communities being developed in Nashville.

“We’ll be able to build relationships with neighbors who are like-minded,” said Chris Ricci.

The couple is on a waiting list of potential home buyers at East Greenway Park, which will have 62 cottage-style homes on 10 acres next to Shelby Bottoms Greenway in East Nashville.

“She’s going to teach yoga classes in the park. We’re really looking forward to it,” Chris Ricci said. Arielle Ricci owns Nellamoon, which provides private and semi-private yoga instruction at its clients’ locations.

East Greenway Park, being developed at the intersection of Eastland and Rosebank avenues, will be built around an outdoor gym and fitness trail, community gardens, bike racks with work stations, a dog wash stand and outdoor gathering places. A coffeehouse will be located on one corner.

On the city’s west side, Joy Harris and her fiancé, Brandon Weaver, are considering buying one of the 60 cottages that will be built on 5.5 acres at Treaty Oaks in the Nations neighborhood.

“The whole philosophy is very appealing,” said Harris.

As a nurse, she is especially attracted by the community’s commitment to creating a healthy environment. Treaty Oaks, which is being built along Morrow Road near the city’s West Park, will feature a Zen garden, bocce ball, low- or no-VOC materials and indoor air filtered with germ-killing ultra violet light.

Wells will provide water for irrigation, said developer Michael Kenner.

“We can maintain the landscaping at lower cost to the HOA and without placing any demands on the city’s infrastructure,” he said.

Homes at East Greenway Park will range from 1,250 to 2,400 square feet. Prices will range from the high $200,000s to low $500,000s. Treaty Oaks will have homes with 1,000 to 1,600 square feet. Prices will range from $250,000 to $350,000.

Harris said she and Weaver, who is a firefighter, were pleased to find an affordable new home. They had feared being priced out of Nashville.

“For people in service positions, it’s nice to live in the community and not have to move away. This will be a community of people like us, young professionals who want to buy a home but can’t afford a $500,000 house,” said Harris.

Work is under way at East Greenway Park, which is being built to LEED for Neighborhood development standards. Forty-one percent of the trees on the site will be preserved, said Britnie Turner, founder and CEO of Aerial Development Group, the neighborhood’s developer.

Interest in the neighborhood has been strong, she said.

“As developers, we have an opportunity to build a community that can positively and significantly influence the health of its residents. We’ve designed East Greenway Park to do just that by creating an environment where a diverse range of homeowners can be physically active and socially engaged,” said Turner.

Treaty Oaks developer Michael Kenner said home buyers are attracted by the idea of living in a community that promotes well-being.

At least 300 people have put their names on a waiting list for the community’s 60 homes.

“We could sell them off the list,” said Kenner, owner of MiKeN Development.

He expects to complete the first 30 homes this spring and finish the rest over the next year. East Greenway Park’s homes will be completed in phases over several years.

Kaitlyn and Mike Chow will be among the first residents of East Greenway Park, where they are buying their first house. They expect to move this fall from the Nipper’s Corner neighborhood, where they are renting.

“I’m really into CrossFit and Mike loves to bike,” said Kaitlyn Chow.

They are looking forward to walking out their door and walking to the greenway.

“We’ll be right on the edge of 800 acres” of park land, she said.

Via Tennessean.com »