Times Leader, The (Wilkes Barre, PA)
January 14, 2007 DWELLING IN THE MOUNTAINS From the rear seat Jim Comes looked out the window at the wooded ridge to the west. In the front, Chuck Revitt steered the four-wheel drive pickup truck along a dirt road cut through a hilltop above Upper Demunds Road. "That's our other mountain," Comes said. Comes and Revitt, his project manager, have been up and down the nearly 500-acre Goodleigh Manor property by foot and vehicle since eyeing it as a development for homes tucked among the trees and concealing contours of the land. "When Chuck and I came upon the property four years ago we knew it was something special," Comes said. "It's a mountain that puts a spell on you," said Revitt. Wildlife abounds in the glades and forest shadows cast by the afternoon sun. Deer in their winter coats blend in with trees and stare at the truck as it creeps along. A flock of a half dozen male turkeys, their red beards bright against dark feathers, scurry for cover. The ridge tops offer views of horizons north, south, east and west. A patchwork quilt of farms and fields spreads across the valleys and hillsides. Lakes and ponds reflect the sunlight. Cars and trucks, their motors muted by the distance, glide along the township roads and nearby Route 309. Closer, however, the diesel engines of earthmoving equipment straining to build roads through the development groaned and growled. An estimated 750,000 cubic yards of rock and dirt have to be moved for the five miles of roads. Most of them have been cut. They should begin blacktopping in June for eventual handover to the township. Comes, 45, has completed several other projects during his 20 years as a developer. He's the man behind Laurelbrook Estates in Bear Creek and Bear Creek Township, Summit Woods in Roaring Brook Township, Lackawanna County and Blue Heron Woods in Pike County near Lake Wallenpaupack. The upstate New York native started out in banking but grew tired of working at a desk in an office. "I like the outdoors," Comes said. He switched jobs and began selling land for a similar type company as his Landview Properties LLC. He's been in Pennsylvania since 1985. Goodleigh Manor is the most extensive in terms of site preparation. He declined to say how much he invested in the project, but added "We knew it was well worth it." According to the Luzerne County Recorder of Deeds office, Landview Properties Inc. purchased 485.49 acres from Tuula D'Anca for $2,232,270 in June 2005. The views, the location and the property combine to give this development his signature selling points, he said - privacy and quality. The permits have been acquired, the soil tested for suitability for septic systems and land has been set aside for hiking trails and a nature preserve. The lots range from two to 15 acres and sell from $89,900 to $169,900. Comes does not build the homes and sets no deadline for customers to build. Underground utilities are provided, but customers must provide their own sewer and water. Covenants and restrictions dictate what types of homes can be built and prohibit further subdivision of the parcels. At the minimum selling price, the project would bring in more than $12 million for Comes. A project this large could fit two or three times as many homes, depending upon the size of the lot, Comes noted. But that's neither what he nor D'Anca who sold the land, wanted. "(She) heard about the kind of projects we do," Comes said. She "didn't want to see the thing torn apart," he added. Since they began showing the development in September more than 30 of the 137 lots have been sold. Not only are Comes and Revitt familiar with the land, so too are the sales staff of Josh Schaeffer and Conrad Hochreiter. Customers appreciate that, Comes said. "That kind of gives them a comfort margin." When talking to customers the sales staff gets a few ideas about what they're looking for, such as a deck with a western exposure or a walk-in basement, Comes said. The staff can then guide them through the process. Because of the size of the development that could take a while and more than one trip to see the sites. "The first one is kind of a tour," Comes said. ©2007, |