Strong sense of community draws buyers to Leabrooke Town Manor

Warm weather holiday weekends always seem to bring out the spirit of special gatherings with family and friends, often set around delicious food, fresh air outdoors and the beautiful starlit sky.

This was definitely the ambiance enjoyed by all this past Memorial Day weekend in the new Leabrooke Town Manor community at a picnic co-hosted by several residents, including Nancie Kieweg.

“A few of us had talked about having a group cookout for quite some time, so we finally jumped in, began knocking on doors and invited people to join us, and they were all really receptive to the idea,” said Kieweg, who moved from Grand Rapids, Mich., six years ago to be closer to her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. “We all wore name tags so some of our newest neighbors got to meet everyone.”

For one of the community’s most recent buyers, it felt like perfect timing to be moving in on Memorial Day weekend, which offered her a great opportunity to meet neighbors and make new friends. At the cookout she saw that the community is made up of people from all stages of life including couples, singles, families with children and retires, and everyone welcomed her with open arms.

After touring all of the finished units, she decided to purchase a three-bedroom, 21/2-bathroom Thom II floor plan because of the 13-foot island with a granite counter top in the kitchen, the covered private deck and the great use of space for closets and storage, as well as for the interior upgraded finishes.

In Leawood just off Kenneth Road and 148th Street, Leabrooke Town Manor offers luxurious, upscale maintenance-provided townhomes suitable for a wide range of homebuyers.

Built by Taylor Sterling Construction Company and developed by Leabrooke Townhomes LLC, this new residential community is reminiscent of a quaint European village offering numerous amenities to fit a wide array of lifestyles.

Eleven unique floor plans are offered encompassing three and four bedrooms, all with master suites on the main level. Available designs include a choice of 11/2-story or reverse plans with daylight, walkout or egress lower levels. Homes start at $339,000.

Upscale interior features at Leabrooke Town Manor include 31/2 inch select white oak hardwood floors, custom knotty alder cabinetry, crown molding, iron spindles, oak tread and designer carpet on the stairs, quite floor system, upgraded 12- by 24-inch tile in the bathrooms, stone or tile fireplaces, built-in bookcases and beautiful wood treatment on many of the ceilings.

The state-of-the-art kitchen offers granite or quartz counter tops with a generous breakfast bar allowing for a secondary eating area and stainless steel appliances complete with a gas self-cleaning range. All homes feature granite or marble vanity tops in the bathrooms and upgraded soaker tubs in the master bath.

Every home includes a textured stucco and stone exterior, lush landscaped yard and features either a private deck or patio. All homes include an attached two-car garage with 8-foot insulated doors and Lift Master belt driven openers.

A key factor for many in their decision to purchase in Leabrooke Town Manor is a maintenance-free lifestyle. The monthly homeowner association dues include mowing, edging, trimming, fertilizing and weeding of lawns; pruning of all trees and bushes; snow removal; annual start-up, winterization and repair of the lawn sprinkler system; repair and replacement of roof and gutters; water and sewer; trash collection; fire and property liability insurance encompassing the home, fixtures and equipment such as the HVAC.

Residents also enjoy a wealth of outdoor amenities offered by the Leabrooke Master HOA for an annual fee, which include a swimming pool, sport court with tennis and basketball, stocked fishing pond and clubhouse with exercise facility.

The sense of community is among the many attractive, albeit intangible, benefits that drew Kieweg to Leabrooke Town Manor.

“The picnic was lots of fun and an excellent turn out for our first time around,” she said. “I retired right before I moved here, so it was a huge change for me. But I felt that in an area such as this I would be able to meet people similar in age to myself, and I have definitely done that.”

This story was originally published June 12, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Strong sense of community draws buyers to Leabrooke Town Manor."