Homestead Preserve Receives 2008 Scenic Virginia Award

Hot Springs, Virginia – November 4, 2008. . . Last month Homestead Preserve received the 2008 Scenic Virginia Award for Scenic Viewshed Preservation. The award honors the Bath County, Virginia conservation community for its efforts to maintain scenic viewsheds, preserve open space and forestland, and protect natural landscapes during the course of development.

When Homestead Preserve developer Celebration Associates purchased the Virginia Hot Springs Company in 2002, they sold 9,250 acres of their original 11,500-acre purchase on and around Warm Springs Mountain and the Cascades Gorge to The Nature Conservancy. In October 2004, they placed an additional 935 acres into permanent conservation easements with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation to ensure the protection of the area’s mountain ridges and pastoral landscape for future generations.

One of the major distinguishing factors of Homestead Preserve’s environmental commitment, which caught the attention of the Scenic Virginia Awards committee, is the intensive field work that went into creating Homestead Preserve’s master plan. In 2002, Celebration Associates established an aerial map of the property to allow the planning team to study topography, forest cover, streams, and watersheds. Then, on the ground, planners evaluated the landscape to determine which areas would be suitable for development and which should be preserved.

“Our planning team also studied the views from each home site as well as the views into the development from local roads and highways to make sure home sites would blend into the natural surroundings and not be intrusive on the viewshed,” explains Homestead Preserve’s Co-General Manager Don Killoren. “We are honored to have these conservation efforts recognized by Scenic Virginia.”

Scenic Virginia, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the scenic beauty of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The organization’s primary purpose is to encourage and support public and private actions that enrich the Commonwealth’s scenic beauty, particularly along Virginia’s highways and byways.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, Inc. of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, Inc. is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-213-6491. To schedule media interviews with Celebration Associates developers, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

Escape the Dog Days of August in the North Carolina High Country

Boone, North Carolina – August 12, 2008. . . At the turn of the last century, the North Carolina High Country was a favorite summer retreat of wealthy lowlanders looking to escape the heat and humidity of the coast and Piedmont. Many built elaborate “cottages” in villages like Blowing Rock, where they enjoyed summers of mountain scenery, cool nights, and breezy days.

Contemporary visitors to the High Country continue to flock to this region in the heat of summer. In fact, visitors spend as much as half a billion dollars annually in the High Country, according to statistics from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. And many still seek extended stays in their own second homes or in long-term rentals.

Despite the recent softening of the real estate market, Vice President of Sales and Development with Echota, the High Country’s highest selling resort community, says, “Second home sales remain strong this year. Echota has closed on over 50 real estate transactions this year almost exclusively with buyers who will use their condominiums or single-family residences as second homes.” Sears indicates that vacation rentals in Echota are strong this year as well, showing no decrease from last summer’s figures. “With climbing gas prices, people are taking their summer getaways close to home,” adds Sears. “The North Carolina High Country is three hours or less away from all of North Carolina’s major metropolitan areas.”

And there’s no shortage of attractions in the High Country. The region straddles the Blue Ridge Parkway and offers access to Grandfather Mountain, the Linn Cove Viaduct, and Moses H. Cone Memorial Park. Endless opportunities for shopping, dining, and festivals await visitors to Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and surrounding villages, including three different Mast General Store locations, and families with children continue to enjoy Tweetsie Railroad. Meanwhile, An Appalachian Summer Festival provides season-long performing and visual arts activities.

Echota is located about two hours from Charlotte and three hours from Raleigh-Durham. Echota Developer Mark Harrill is President of Foscoe Realty and Development. He is the leading developer of second home resort communities in the North Carolina High Country. He has been developing mountain property in the area for more than two decades and has demonstrated a commitment to blending architecture into the landscape. Echota properties range in cost from the $300,000s to $700,000.

For information on Echota sales or rentals, call 866-283-9420. For media inquiries on Echota or the North Carolina High Country, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.