Silverbrook Estates is bright spot in housing market

The relatively weak housing market across the United States hasn’t halted development at Silverbrook Estates north of Kalispell.

Developer and project manager Howard Mann said the 325-acre development attracts buyers for multiple reasons.

“People like our amenities and quality of life,” Mann said. “We offer a lot of open space.”

The development, located off U.S. 93 and south of Church Drive, features a park, tennis courts, a playground area, basketball court, four miles of paved pathways and fountains and waterfalls at the entrances. A community center available to Silverbrook residents has an outdoor swimming pool, kitchen area, pool tables and a fitness center.

Residents have access to the stretch of the Stillwater River that runs along the west side of the development for fishing or other water recreation.

A homeowners association maintains all the common areas “meticulously,” Mann said.

The Silverbrook project includes several pieces: Silverbrook Estates, the development itself; Silverbrook Realty, the entity selling lots and houses; and Silverbrook Investments, which owns the houses being built by Lee Selders Construction.

The entire project is owned by the limited liability company 93 and Church, which is owned by Mann’s father, Alfred Mann of California.

Silverbrook Estates has been in the planning stage since 2006. The zoning for the development was approved by the Kalispell City Council in December 2006.

In 2006, the real estate mar-

ket “was at the top,” Mann said. “Before the downturn we felt there was a need for a community that was family-oriented with amenities not offered in any other subdivision.”

The developers also wanted to build a community that offered residents value and affordable prices, he said. So, they began work on Silverbrook Estates at the southwest corner of Church Drive and U.S. 93. The property is not contiguous to the Kalispell city limits. It’s 2.2 miles from the northern border of the city, but was annexed into the city in December 2006.

Although the project was slowed somewhat by the economic downturn, it’s on the upswing now, Mann and Silverbrook Realty broker Larry

Sartain said.

Initially, the developers planned to sell lots, not construct houses, but the change in the real-estate market changed their plans. They also downsized the original plan for the smallest houses to be 1,800 square feet. Silverbrook Investments offers houses ranging from 1,232 to 3,000 square feet.

Buyers have multiple options for their homes in Silverbrook. They can pick one of the designs offered by Silverbrook Investments, bring their own house design and use Silverbrook’s builder or hire a contractor of their choice.

The development has design guidelines for people who use their own contractors, Mann said.

Silverbrook Realty currently has 12 houses for sale, Eight are completed and the other four are under construction and should be finished within the next 30 to 45 days, Sartain said.

Another 12 houses already have been sold and 20 more lots have been sold but not yet developed.

The houses built by Lee Selders Construction for Silverbrook Investments feature vaulted ceilings in the great room and granite countertops in the kitchens. Bedrooms are carpeted, bathrooms and laundry rooms have tile floors and other areas of the house have hardwood floors.

All the houses have forced-air heat and cooling systems and are wired for telephone and Internet services. All crawl space floors are concrete. Landscaped front yards with automatic sprinkler systems are part of the package. People can opt for a developed back yard, too, Mann said.

People who have bought in Silverbrook represent a range of backgrounds, Mann said, including young families, retirees, newcomers to the city, some former residents of Canada and people who want to move up from their current homes.

Mann and Sartain are proud of the prices and the homes they sell. The two men said their prices are about 30 percent lower than other new construction in the community. The lower prices do not come from any sacrifices in quality, they noted, but rather from smart work on the part of their contractor and subcontractors.

Subcontractors negotiate directly with suppliers and manufacturers to buy materials for 10 houses at a time, allowing for better prices, Mann said.

“We wanted to give people value they probably could not realize by building a single home,” Mann said.

All the subcontractors working at the development are local, Mann said. “We think that’s a big thing — keeping these guys employed.”

At the time the Kalispell City Council approved the zoning request for the development, plans called for 446 houses, 120 townhouses and a commercial district. Those numbers have changed slightly in the last four years. The total number of houses now planned is 486 along with 106 townhouses and the commercial area.

Phase 1 includes 285 single-family home lots. All of the infrastructure is in place in that phase, Mann said.

Phase 2 now calls for 201 single-family house lots and 106 townhouse lots, along with a neighborhood commercial center.

No solid plans are in place for the neighborhood market, Mann said. Some businesses have expressed interest in the project “but no one is ready to move forward yet.”

Mann envisions the market area including businesses such as a small grocery store, restaurants or banks.

The area won’t look overly commercial, he said. “It won’t be all concrete.” Rather, plans call for plenty of trees and other landscaping in a pedestrian-friendly setting.

“We have a sense of community,” Mann said. “That’s what we tried to do here. If you need something it will be in the community. It’s convenient to everything, 2.2 miles from shopping, close to Whitefish Mountain and Glacier Park. We’re centrally located for anything you want to do in the Flathead Valley.”

The city approved the final plat for phase 1 in March 2007. The preliminary plat for phase 2 has been approved, Mann said. Once all the infrastructure for phase 2 is in place, the developers will return to the city for final plat approval. Much of that infrastructure, including grading and installation of sewer and storm-water drains, already is complete, he said. Curbs, gutters and sidewalks still are to be installed in phase 2, Mann said. However, Silverbrook won’t do that work in phase 2 until more lots are sold in the development’s first phase.

The completion date for the entire project is uncertain, Mann said.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or by e-mail at sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.