August 29, 2012

A woodsy retreat near Cle Elum

Image courtesy of GCH [enlarge]

Work is under way on Trailside at Woods and Steele, a residential development near Cle Elum. This community center will offer residents a pool, hot tub, kitchen, conference room and other amenities.

A Cle Elum development firm has started work on a 65-lot residential development for folks seeking a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the Puget Sound area.

The development, called Trailside at Woods and Steele, will be nestled into the mountains southwest of Cle Elum, built on woodsy 0.75- to 4-acre parcels that promise clear views of the Stuart mountain range. The gated property will include a community center with a pool and hot tub, kitchen, conference room and other amenities.

Trailside's nine home models range from a 950-square-foot cabin that starts at $360,000 to a 2,500-square-foot cabin starts at $545,000. The site is on a national forest road that branches off from Woods and Steele Road, south of Interstate 90.

Sean Northrop, owner of Sapphire Skies Land Co., said the development will appeal to a different group of homebuyers from those who have purchased properties at the nearby Suncadia resort.

Suncadia, owned by a group headed by Lowe Enterprises, has amenities such as an inn, spa, restaurants and golf courses, but has had its share of financial headaches. A private equity fund joined Suncadia's ownership group earlier this year after the resort defaulted on a development agreement with Kittitas County in 2010.

Northrop cited larger home parcels, secluded setting and mountain views as three of Trailside's biggest selling points.

Landscape architecture and planning firm Geyer Coburn Hutchins is working with the developer on the site plan, which orients each of the cabins to take maximum advantage of the views. The firm is also planning the roads, trails, landscape, community center and other features.

Cabin designs are by 4D Architects. Encompass is the civil engineering consultant. Hardline Construction is responsible for the site work, and Sapphire Skies is the general contractor for the cabins and community center.

Northrop said that while many potential buyers are seeking vacation homes, a significant number of inquiries have come from people seeking primary homes or a place to retire. Most everyone looking to buy comes from the Puget Sound area, “anywhere within 40 to 50 miles of Seattle,” he said.

Cle Elum's proximity to the Seattle area and its setting on the sunny side of the Cascades add to its appeal, Northrop said.

The development will have direct trail access to adjacent U.S. Forest Service land and miles of recreational trails. The location caters to homeowners that want to be able to use motorized vehicles such as ATVs, dirt bikes or snowmobiles to reach the trails directly from their property. Hiking, skiing, mountain biking and equestrian trails are accessible too.

Trailside's “relaxed approach” to recreation allows families to enjoy a range of activities without a lot of fuss, Northrop said.

Site infrastructure for the first 24 parcels will be complete this fall. The community center and five model cabins will be finished next spring.

Northrop said the pace of the development will depend on demand. There is no fixed timeline for initiating second-phase work for the remaining parcels.

Northrop and other partners own 1,800 acres in the Cle Elum area. He said he has developed 300 homes so far, and has been approved to build 1,200 more. About 400 of those will be vacation cabins, but the other 800 will be part of City Heights, an in-city master-planned development that will include a mix of housing types and possibly some commercial and retail development.

Cle Elum is one of the last areas in range of Puget Sound with low development costs and a reliably quick commute, Northrop said.

“If you commute from Arlington or Snohomish to Bellevue, you can commute from Cle Elum faster,” he said, noting improvements under way on Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass.

Cle Elum is about 75 miles southeast of Bellevue.

The Taylor Bridge wildfire burned dozens of homes east of Cle Elum in recent weeks, but did not affect any of Northrop's properties, he said.

The fire served as a “reminder to manage forest land properly,” he said, adding that his developments are built with fire hydrants and water systems, and enforce Firewise Communities guidelines, which advise homeowners on reducing wildfire risks.

Northrop, 44, said he started working in development 20 years ago. He acquired the Trailside property in 2001 with a pair of other investors as part of a larger land purchase.

He said he has his eye out now for timberland properties he can harvest or someday develop, and for multifamily properties in the Seattle area that he can reposition.

Regarding the Cle Elum vacation homes, Northrop said his greatest reward is helping families spend time together, creating “a base camp for having experiences.”