Neighborhood on the rise

A neighborhood within a neighborhood is emerging in Hixson.
   It's known as Summertown Village at Ramsgate and is located inside the boundaries of one of the area's upscale communities. The houses and lots in Summertown Village, however, will be somewhat smaller than those of their Ramsgate neighbors. In addition, the streetscape and houses along Chippenham Drive will have a more traditional look and ambiance than other sections of Ramsgate.
   Pratt & Associates, the company that is also developing The Traditions off Mountain Creek Road, is developing Summertown Village at Ramsgate.
   Ramsgate is a Southern Land Co. community that is now managed by Emerald Valley LLC. It has been totally built out with the exception of nine or 10 acres inside the main entrance. Pratt & Associates contracted to buy and develop that acreage under a traditional neighborhood theme.
   "We felt the concept we developed at The Traditions had some appeal to it," James Pratt said. The development of Summertown Village will take place over a three-year period and eventually include 23 homes on lots approximately one-fourth acre in size.
   The traditional neighborhood concept is gaining momentum across the country, said Jim Gallagher Jr. of Stonebridge Realty. It represents an attempt to re-create vintage neighborhoods of earlier eras.
   Two things make Summertown Village a little different from other traditional neighborhoods, Mr. Pratt said. One will be the architectural look of the houses, with exteriors of vinyl and brick with varying combinations of porches, balconies and columns. The other will be the streetscape with a buffer strip between the sidewalks and the street, trees, vintage street lights and designer mail boxes.
   "The streetscape will bring this street to life," Mr. Pratt said. The trees will eventually create a huge canopy over Chippenham Drive. "The traditional neighborhood is always developed with the pedestrian in mind. It makes the pedestrian more important than the automobile." Chippenham Drive is the only street in Summertown Village and ends in a cul de sac.
   The developers offer a variety of house plans that include two-story designs and "two exceptionally well-designed plans for single level homes, " Mr. Gallagher said. "The home owner can enjoy the chance to select from a choice of interior finishes."
   "What makes this unique is the architecture," said Win Pratt of Pratt & Associates. Some of the architectural work was done by Mike Nelson, an architect from Arkansas. Other house plans are derivatives of plans used in The Traditions and in Southern Land Co. developments. Houses range in size from 2,500 to 3,300 square feet and are priced between $268,500 and $325,000. They contain a minimum of three bedrooms and include such features as large master bedroom suites and solid countertops and custom cabinets in the kitchen.
   Mr. Gallagher thinks Summertown Village will appeal to two markets: families with children and empty nesters whose children no longer live at home.
   "The homes are high quality," said Debbie Coppinger, sales and marketing director for Emerald Valley LLC. They are designed for "the individual who wants quality but doesn't need a huge house. They are holding the market value in there."
   Summertown Village will be a part of Ramsgate and its homeowners will have to adhere to the same restrictions and covenants as do other Ramsgate home owners, she said. "It has been very well received by the Ramsgate community."
   Initially, Dolores Wolfe thinks some Ramsgate residents were a little apprehensive about plans for the last phase of development of their community. "What we thought at first, truthfully, was it would be townhouses," she said.
   Mrs. Wolfe's husband, Ray, chairs the Ramsgate homeowners' association. After meeting with Mr. Pratt, the association board was impressed with his plans, Mrs. Wolfe said. She believes residents today are pretty happy with plans for Summertown Village, especially after learning Summertown Village home owners would be subject to the same restrictions and maintenance fees as they are.
   "I think it is a pretty little street," Mrs. Wolfe said.
   Four houses have been started in Summertown Village. One of them, a 2,600-square-foot, two-story house priced at $269,600, has been completed and serves as a sales office.
   The home sites in Summertown Village feature underground sprinkler systems, front and back, and landscaped yards. All utilities are underground and the development is on the sewer system.