Situated just uphill from Northside’s central business district, an excavation site of 36 empty lots is soon to become the place many folks will call home.
The Rockford Woods subdivision has reached phase two of development, meaning that the time has come for homebuilders to turn the remaining empty spaces into humble abodes by kicking into construction mode. In a collaborative effort with the Home Builders Association (HBA), six homebuilding companies are set to construct and showcase some of their finest designs at Rockford Woods, where CitiRama 2010 is scheduled for June 3-13.
CitiRama is an urban home show spawned from Homearama, which stands as the longest-running home show in the country after 49 consecutive years of operation. Currently in its ninth year, CitiRama is annually held at an up-and-coming urban housing development; previous locations selected by HBA include Price Hill, Westwood, Hartwell, Mount Lookout and Downtown. Northside hosts its second CitiRama this summer.
“While Homearama is a suburban show, CitiRama is more focused on urban living,” says HBA President Elect Josh Blatt. “Homearama homes tend to be very high end, luxury houses, while CitiRama houses are very nice but more focused on affordability and geared toward a first-time homebuyer.”
Blatt reports that each of the six homebuilders — PotterHill Homes, MI Homes, Graystone Custom Homes, Perry Bush Custom Homes, Maronda Homes and Maple Street Homes — will showcase one home in CitiRama 2010. The houses are priced from $190,000 to $250,000, a modest investment compared to some of the million-dollar homes featured in Homearama.
“We really want to showcase affordability and urban living with this show,” Blatt says. “Northside is an eclectic neighborhood, and we want to show residents what urban living can be like.”
While some might associate urban living with noisy traffic and old drafty windows, CitiRama homebuilders are committed to creating modern, efficient homes that offer homebuyers the perks of living in the city, stripped of pitfalls like mandatory on-street parking and high energy bills. This year’s homebuilders are particularly focused on building certified “green homes,” which are specially designed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
“Northside is such a fun, eclectic neighborhood,” says homebuilder Carolyn Rolfes of PotterHill Homes. “We’re excited to be in Northside because the residents have a strong sense of community and because they seem to really understand ‘green.’
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2010.
