The Villages at Crest Mountain October 6, 2009

The Villages at Crest Mountain

Announcing Asheville’s Premier, Sustainable and Affordable Eco-Community

            Asheville, NC (August 2009) — In the heart of Asheville lies the Villages at Crest Mountain, an innovative community setting itself apart by implementing the latest in green building technologies and sustainable site design strategies, making it the most comprehensive and sustainable development in Western North Carolina.  After years of collaborating with a team of experts and with the initial infrastructure now in place, the community is now beginning vertical construction.

            “We are proud and honored to create a place where resources are carefully used, reused and preserved for future generations,” says Developer Reese Lasher.  “The focuses of this community are sustainability, efficiency, community and affordability.”

            Sustainability efforts within the development are exciting and strategically planned.  PV solar rooftop systems energize homes and offset cost and consumption, while rainwater harvesting provides nourishment for the extensive gardens.  The high-density master plan allows for an abundance of green space common area.  Pervious garden trails, edible landscaping, common gardens, a greenhouse, orchards, a vineyard and local berry patches contribute to an extensive list of earth-friendly amenities.    

            Homes have features such as EcoPanel SIPS construction, whole house ventilation systems, solar hot water, triple pane and passive solar glazed windows, high-efficiency plumbing features, and custom designed landscapes designed in conjunction with the team’s permaculture advisors.           

            “Our goal for every home in the Villages at Crest Mountain is to be at least silver-level certified in the North Carolina Healthy Built Homes program and to offer our residents the full range of options in terms of green building techniques, lifestyle options and stylistic expressions available in today’s market, all within one community,” says Project Director David Mosrie. 

            The homes at the Villages at Crest Mountain are constructed with not only high-performance and quality in mind, but also affordability.  A team of Western North Carolina’s top green builders helps achieve this goal:  Jade Mountain Builders, JAG Construction, Longview Builders and Springtime Homes.  Each builder brings a slightly different approach, style and technique and allows individuality in each home with a range of styles, options and upgrades.  Initial home prices range from the low $200s to mid $300s.

            Amy Musser of VandeMusser Design is the project’s energy advisor and is recognized as an industry expert on energy use and modeling in relation to building in the region.  She works closely with each builder and homeowner to plan homes for maximum efficiency and affordability, providing the homeowner with substantial amounts in annual savings.

            The master plan is meant to encourage community and social interaction with front porches facing the two-acre central gardens, hiking trails, park and play areas, common houses and green spaces.  The variety of home plans and amenities appeals to people of diverse backgrounds and ages.  Several commercial buildings in development are intended to further foster a live / work / play environment.  All of these features are meant to nurture a sense of community and social interaction.

            The Villages at Crest Mountain are a part of Crest Mountain, a 165-acre multi-functional mountain village.  Within the greater Crest Mountain community are hiking trails, banquet facilities, vacation rentals, office studios, a gated residential community, luxury condominiums and the acclaimed Hangar Hall School for Girls.        

            The Villages at Crest Mountain are located at 6 Celebration Place in Asheville.  For more information, contact David Mosrie at 828-252-7787 (david@villagesatcrestmountain.com) or www.villagesatcrestmountain.com. 

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The Villages at Crest Mountain Development Team

Reese Lasher- Developer

David Mosrie- Project Director, Crest Communities, LLC

Clint Lasher- Project manager and sales

Chuck Marsh- Permaculturist, Useful Plants and Nursery

Amy Musser, VandeMusser Design, PLLC- energy consulting and HERS Rating

Black Mountain Arts and Crafts Show – This Weekend! June 1, 2009

The 12th Annual Black Mountain Arts and Crafts Show takes place this weekend, June 6-7, in downtown Black Mountain.  The show is a product of  the community’s rich hisotry of mountain and heritage crafts and is recognized across the Southeast for its quality and diversity. 

Hundreds of applications are received from top quality artists and crafters and from that number, only 65 applications are selected.  The success of the show has been underlined by the fact that nearly half of all the vendors return year after year.  Over 5000 people attend each year!

The Black Mountain Arts and Crafts Show is free and open to the public.  Highlights are artist demonstrations, food vendors and great music.  Hours are Saturday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.

www.olddepot.org

Come Walk, Run or Dance the Reggae 5k March 24, 2009

The Fourth Annual Earth Day Reggae 5K takes place at Wolf Creek Cove on Saturday, April 25.  This is such a fun event!  Is it a party or a race?  I am not quite sure.  Participants can run, walk or dance the 5k course.  There is also a “stroller push” category, so needless to say it is a family-friendly event.  The race starts and finishes at Wolf Creek Cove where there is live reggae music, food, tie-dying and tons of great prizes.

Visit www.reggae5k.com for more information and to register.  I will see you there!

Spring is here. March 21, 2009

Spring is finally here, and so begins the wedding season at Wolf Creek Cove.  The new signs of life are wonderful to see after a long and dreary winter.

I am really excited about some of the changes we’ve been working on over the winter for Wolf Creek Cove.  First and foremost, we are partnering with Artful Shelter to offer tent, table and chair rentals to our guests.  Artful Shelter has been one of our recommended vendors for years, and now they have custom designed a beautiful, multi-peaked tent for the space.  We will keep the tent on-site, along with tables, chairs, a dance floor and more, and offer these items as optional rentals to our guests. 

We’ve also joined forces with Black-Eyed Susan Catering.  Owner Cynthia Brasher is a dear friend of mine and designed a wedding menu just for Wolf Creek Cove.  Her food is so good!  Again, this is an optional add-on for our guests, and we have several other caterers who we use regularly and recommend often.  Though having an “in-house” caterer allows us to offer a seamless service to the bride and groom and cuts down on the time they would spend shopping around.

Finally, Katherine Blackburn is Wolf Creek Cove’s ordained non-denominational minister who helps our brides and grooms design a personal or traditional wedding ceremony, provides them with premarital counseling and leads the rehearsal and wedding ceremony. 

We want our brides and grooms to have choices and options.  By adding these services, we feel we are able to offer them somewhat of a “package” wedding, but only if they want it.  We love that every wedding at Wolf Creek Cove is designed by the bride and groom and is personal and unique.

So let the wedding season begin!  I am excited about working with all the wonderful people who have booked weddings at Wolf Creek Cove this season.

Visit www.wolfcreekcove.com for more information.