Taking shape

Greenery Park developer has timeless design in mind

A professional business park and townhouse development are emerging on a 3.83-acre plot of land that nurtured a plant nursery in north Kalispell for 18 years.

The Greenery Park, named after the nursery, is being developed by Norman Beach of Nolan Holdings as a transitional buffer between residential neighborhoods to the south and commercial development to the north.

Located on the southwest corner of U.S. 93 and Four Mile Drive, across the road from the Kidsport athletic complex, the project will include four professional office buildings in the lower portion of the property and three duplex townhouses on the western end.

It will be an integrated village, Beach said about the commercial end. There wont be any retail. It will be all professional offices.

Beach bought the property from nursery owners Ray and Lee Murphy two years ago and spent time working with neighboring homeowners to come up with a design that would allow neighbors to preserve their views to the north. He initially intended to build 32 townhouses, which the zoning at that time would support.

Later, the zoning was changed to accommodate a combination of residential and commercial development.

One of Beachs concessions to neighbors was an agreement that he keep the elevation of the office buildings below the line of sight from homes on a hill to the south. The natural topography of the land allowed him to accomplish that promise.

Several features of the development are aimed at making it as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Forty percent of the property will be retained as open space.

To handle stormwater runoff, Beach chose a subterranean storage system, one of the first installed in the Kalispell area. It includes 167 underground domes that hold 15,000 cubic feet of water. Stormwater is stored in the domes underneath the parking lot and water is then slowly released.

I could have put in a holding pond, but you cant trash your entrance, Beach said.

A series of retaining walls wind through the development, creating courtyards around the office buildings and adding visual excitement, Beach said. Bruce Lutz of Sitescapes is the landscape architect.

Each office building contains four condominium units that can be customized by the buyer. The first office building was recently completed; Dean & Leininger Real Estate and Big Sky IV Care are the first occupants. A second office building is under construction.

Were looking at completion of phase one by June 2006, Beach said. Im hoping by this time next year well be starting the third building.

We wanted a timeless design, he said about the office buildings. Theyre kind of Frank Lloyd Wright-esque.

The first duplex townhouse is nearing completion, and the first unit the one with the best views has sold for $369,000. Theyre higher-end townhouses, Beach said, built in a craftsman style, with window grills and hand-troweled walls. Theyre also prewired for total home automation and super-insulated to offset rising home-heating costs.

Beachs wife, Gail Hansen, is the interior design coordinator and helps with other facets of the development.

The subsequent five units, each with 2,400 square feet, will be priced at $359,000.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.