Every now and then (like after you’ve developed several hundred homes), you get an itch to break out and try something different, to let loose and let the imagination guide the project. This actually happens to me every few years and one of those developments is underway at Ambleside. Ambleside is located next to my offices in the Steelwood Enteprise Center at Fairview Avenue and Wildwood Street.
About three years ago I partnered with some other people on a land purchase and I came out of it with 6¼ acres, a few hundred feet from Fairview and next to some homes. We could have put a typical “Tuscan” themed development but we wanted to build something new and different, something that had not yet been done in Boise.
Ambleside is basically an English village in Boise. Inspired by the art and architecture of the Georgian period, this sixty-seven townhome development is the result of a commitment to capturing the essence of the most beautiful towns in England. We had a general idea of what we wanted to do but we at first had trouble finding an architect/planner locally who could pull this off. After some referrals, we met Sherry McKibben of McKibben+Cooper Architects. This company is very highly regarded for urban planning and sustainable building design and Sherry is an Assistant Professor of Architecture and Director of the University of Idaho’s Urban Research and Design Center in Boise.
After a short discussion at her downtown office, Sherry showed us the book “The Most Beautiful Country Towns of England” and the illustrations showed us pretty much what we wanted to do.
After Sherry drew up some detailed conceptual drawings we were ready to move forward. We are now putting people to work building the development.
When you enter Ambleside, you will notice a “mansion” at the far end. This really isn’t a mansion, but a townhome building that will be disguised as a mansion and it provides a visual anchor for the rest of the development. Less elaborate (but still attractive) townhome buildings will start at the entrance and buildings will become more ornamented as one progresses to the back. This is fully in keeping with the feel of an English village. Having a grand entrance and focal point is a time-honored tradition in urban planning and we are pleased our development will feature it.
Ambleside will have all the modern conveniences, however, including a 2,500-square-foot clubhouse with fully equipped gym and pool. Buildings will have dormers, porches, siding, chimney pots. Rear-loaded garages mean no garage doors face the street. Homes range in size from 1,500 to 1,950 SF and start in the low $220’s. Each home will have a rear-loaded two-car garage, concrete slab storage room, barbecue-ready balcony, landscaped front yard with patio, fireplace, high ceilings, master suite, and more.
This is typically the kind of development you might see in the North End, Southeast Boise or other upscale areas. Fairview Avenue may seem like an unusual location for Ambleside, but we think attractive development will be supported wherever it is. We even got an unexpected endorsement: Bankers are a pretty conservative group and, like any developer, I have to justify the viability of my project to them to get funding. While we were giving them a tour of the site and explaining the development, one of the bankers said, “Wow, now I want to live here. I believe in this.”
