Winterset Valley is busy building homes that impress

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 gives 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 homesites 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 home sites 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.

Two homes that are perfect for different stages of family life are the Charleston by SAB Construction and the Signature Chateau by Signature Builders.

For a growing family, the Charleston by SAB Construction is the perfect choice. It is two stories and has five bedrooms and four bathrooms.

One feature that excites people, Zammar-Gale said, is the raised ceiling in the great room. “Once on the second floor you walk up three steps to the master suite,” she said. “It gives you a grand entry to the master suite that seems very private and separate from the other three bedrooms. It has received great feedback.”

Another aspect that Zammar-Gale likes about the Charleston is its choice of colors. “We are starting to see a trend for people to move away from the really dark floors to lighter colors,” she said. “Paired with paint in pale grays and white painted cabinets, this home has a very light, open and airy feeling to it.” The Charleston home is priced at $452,850.

“The Signature Chateau is the reverse 1 ½ story dream home for people who have older kids or are empty nesters. The main level has incredible entertaining space and a big master suite and an additional room that can be a bedroom or an office,” Zammar-Gale said. “It has great space downstairs for when the kids come home from college or visit with the grandchildren.

Another nice feature in the home that is listed at $489,000 is a gourmet-style kitchen featuring a vaulted ceiling with shiplap and beams.

“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, but the builder has to be approved 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.”

Lutz said, “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.”

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 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 the 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 18, 2016 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Winterset Valley is busy building homes that impress."