With goal of 10,000 homes in two decades, Heartwood at Richmond Hill is up and running
Bill Cunningham, vice president of real estate for Raydient Places and Properties, cannot stop talking about Heartwood at Richmond Hill. As he cruises down the street, he gazes at each house he passes. He does not say much, as his demeanor is one that wants to take it all in.
Some homes are built and ready for purchase, while water and sewer infrastructure in a neighboring lot indicate the next phase of homes are coming soon.
Heartwood at Richmond Hill is up and running.
More than a dozen families have settled in, the park is complete and staff members held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Outfitters Park in September where exercise classes are held. Full build out will take two decades and boast 10,000 homes, complete with retail, commercial and industrial properties, doubling the size of Richmond Hill.
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Heartwood avoided major delays in construction, but small milestones must be achieved each day to stay on pace.
“We had the labor issue and supply chain issues,” said Cunningham. “But the folks who built this, Omega Construction, did a great job of getting ahead. They ordered almost all the stuff day one. We saw the prices of lumber go way up and timber go way up. They got ahead of the curve, ordered all the things and did a great job finishing on schedule and on budget.”
Cunningham was patient while waiting to get the green light to build the infrastructure needed to support traffic flow in and around the community.
“The interchange was an integral part of this – just getting that certainty that it was going to open up,” said Cunningham. “It allowed us to figure out a lot of our planning, which is a combination of architects, engineers, landscape architects and all the different people working with the city and the county on enabling infrastructure for the new interchange for the Greater Ogeechee Parkway and all those things.”
Heartwood is draped in charming qualities that residents admire, such as Outfitters Park and the nine-acre pond. Families have come as far as New York and Pennsylvania to call Heartwood home.
About 50 homes are vertical and counting. More than 100 lots have been built in the first phase with 60 more to come in Loblolly, the first subdivision of Heartwood. Just off I-95 South and exit 82, homes start as low as $350,000.
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The vision for Heartwood started nearly a decade ago, with a dream to carve out a forest and turn into a community where folks live, work, dine, shop and play all within a short distance from their home.
Heartwood hopefuls can be seen driving by to lay eyes on the community. The buzz is just heating up and as word continues to spread, Cunningham knows the development will entice more families to come from far and wide.
As the year comes to a close, Cunningham is eager to see what the next chapter will bring in 2023.
“It's gratifying,” said Cunningham. “We're just beginning, so it's really great.”
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Homes in Heartwood at Richmond Hill are ready for purchase
