Come enjoy the party at Walnut Creek

One of the more fun parts about my job is hosting community events such as block parties. This Saturday, Sept. 27, we're holding Family Fun Day, a grand opening for the Walnut Creek development, complete with prize drawings, bouncy jumps and a Dad's Football Throwing Contest. We will also have free food, including walnut apple pie at 3 p.m. The Dan Sevy Band of Marsing will provide live classic country music. We have also invited local school groups to sing and a Scout Troop to lead us in the flag raising. Everything is free and open to the public.

Walnut Creek is on Heartland Street, which is off Ten Mile Road, between Hubbard and Deer Flat roads, on the east side of Ten Mile, and the fun lasts from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Two homes have been constructed (one outfitted as a model home) and tours of the 58-lot development will be conducted.

We're happy to be in Kuna and Kuna is happy to have us. In researching Kuna, I found there's not much there for people who are ready to move up from a starter home and Walnut Creek is intended to meet that market demand.

Up to this point, I have focused on building smaller homes and most buyers are single people or older people looking to downsize. We had several families approach us who wanted to stay in Kuna, but couldn’t find anything a step above a starter home. There are people looking for this opportunity and we want to capture that market. But the homes will still have our signature warranty and quality.

Walnut Creek has a country cottage/farmhouse feel, with bold Craftsman-styled homes. It will have four acres of open space, consisting of greenbelt and neighborhood parks large enough for a pick-up game of baseball or soccer. It’s off of Ten Mile Road about four miles south of Interstate 84 and construction on an interchange is set to begin there in 2009.

Walnut Creek is a change for us. We’ve been doing downsized products for a while and due to Kuna’s minimum home and lot sizes, Walnut Creek homes are at least 2,200 square feet (and most will be larger) and lots are at least a third of an acre. But this is a good niche and I wanted to build in Kuna because it’s a Main Street America type of place. It’s a great town with a strong feeling of community – people rally around the sports teams and there’s a lot of focus on making Kuna a nice place and we want to be part of that.