Winterset Phase 30 now building, selling

What began in 1989 with an environmental vision has grown into “Winterset,” a national award-winning Master Planned community with nature and family at the forefront.

Each of the five neighborhoods of Winterset has direct access to walking trails leading to the “100-Acre Woods”, which is actually 150 acres of old-growth forest resting in the Cedar Creek valley. The valleys with running creeks, waterfalls, exposed limestone rocks and forests with trees as old as 150 years give you the feeling you are on the Ozark trails and not just 20 minutes from the Country Club Plaza.

The success of Winterset over nearly three decades has led to the construction of over 1,000 executive homes in five distinct neighborhoods: the Valley, Summit, Park, Woods and Garden. When one phase is completed, another one is underway. Two weeks ago, Phase 29 sold out!

“Phase 30 in Winterset Valley features 53 executive home sites with homes starting at $400,000-plus. It opened last fall and is expected to be completed by next spring,” reported Kurt Lutz, onsite agent with Better Homes and Gardens along with Leslie Marshall and Susie Zammar-Gale.

“Phase 30 is the biggest phase we have done in the last six years,” said David Gale, President of Gale Communities, Inc. “What is important about a bigger phase is it offers more choice to the customer. We have walkouts, daylight lots and the standard homesite, for those who don’t desire a walkout.”

Already, half the homesites have been sold. There are four furnished models and five specs currently available or under construction by six of the most experienced and respected builders in the market. To view some of the homes available in Phase 30, go to WintersetValley.com.

One of the homes listed at $506,540, with four bedrooms, 3 ½ bathrooms, is a beautiful James Engle Custom Homes Laurel II plan with Hampton elevation. This plan offers fully equipped kitchen with island, pantry with prep area and a butler area with wine cooler. The kitchen opens to a great room with rustic beam detailing and a see through fireplace to covered deck. A main floor office, an opulent master bathroom, double vanity, walk-in shower with bench, huge walk-in closet are just some of the luxurious features.

Another home just listed for $479,000 is the Creekside reverse 1 1/2 story home by JFE Construction. This fabulous plan offers four bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths in an open and airy plan. It has a main level master suite and second bedroom, open kitchen/family room living space with see-through fireplace to a huge covered deck. The lower level has a family room with a wet bar, two bedrooms, a huge flex room and a covered patio.

“Our builders build metro wide and are very customer-responsive … that’s critically important to the quality of our community,” Gale said. Or you can bring in your own builder, subject to the approval by Gale Communities. “At this price range,” Gale said, “it is very important to have that flexibility with high standards.”

Immersing the new homes within the surrounding nature is important to the development team. “The original 1989 goal when Dave and Kip Scott began this community was to respect the geology and natural, forested beauty of the land,” reported Leslie Marshall. “As we added acreage, individual neighborhoods were oriented to preserve the native forests, natural creeks and streams with parks, trails, three distinct swimming complexes, lighted tennis courts, and two lakes spread throughout the 1,200 acres, creating an aesthetically pleasing community and a place that our residents are proud to call home.”

The environmental design “Planning with Trees” resulted in Winterset being the only Planned Community in the four-state region to be awarded the prestigious Global ReLeaf designation by the NAHB and American Forests, stated Lutz.

With thousands of tree plantings and hundreds of acres of preserved parkland, two fishing lakes, butterfly gardens and pocket parks galore, Winterset homeowners are never far from nature.

“We have been fortunate to acquire quality, adjacent parcels when we had the opportunity to grow,” Gale said. “But I expect that we might only have two or three more phases before Winterset is complete.”

Winterset Valley is located in the highly rated Lee’s Summit School District. Children attend Cedar Creek Elementary in the center of Winterset, Summit Lakes Middle School and Lee’s Summit West High School. Lee’s Summit West has earned a Silver Designation by U.S. News & World Reports, and the Blue Ribbon status as one of the 10 best high schools. With its well-rounded activities, including championship robotics, sports, broadcasting, music and theater programs, and top-notch academic performance, Lee’s Summit West is a top choice for many, knowing parents.

Winterset Valley is located on the west side of Lee’s Summit and has quick access to Interstate 470. It is 15 minutes east of Overland Park, and 20 minutes from the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. Less than a half-mile to the west is the 5,000-acre Longview Park with recreational activities including baseball, picnicking, boating, fishing, hiking and a large beach for swimming. Also close by is Longview College and Fred Arbanas Golf Course.

“Winterset has evolved wonderfully,” Gale said. “Over 1,000 homes is a humble testament to the credibility of our environmental efforts over the years.”

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Winterset Phase 30 now building, selling."