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Townhome Project Planned For Murphys

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A 46-home townhouse project is planned for Murphys. The architect of this new housing development in Murphys is using some old fashioned ideas in his design.

Developer Jack Kautz hopes to break ground on Fieldstone Townhomes next month on 6.5 acres in the Bret Harte Center property off Highway 4. The project will include 46 townhouses designed by Rudy Ortega, architect of the Arbors shopping center on Murphys Main Street.

The units will range from 1,550 to 1,810 square feet and be divided up as duplexes. Each home will have a double-car garage, but the garages will be in the rear so they´re not noticeable as you drive through the neighborhood, Ortega said.

In front, the homes will be set relatively close to the street and have large porches to create a “street focused” approach, contrasted with most of today´s designs that force everything out the back and “cocoon” the family, Ortega said.

“This is kind of like the old traditional neighborhoods where you sat out on the front porch and socialized with your neighbors,” he added.

Inside, each home will have a vaulted-ceiling living area and a ground-floor master bedroom. All units will have an open loft on the second floor with larger homes offering a loft and second bedroom.

Buyers will have the ability to convert the loft into a third bedroom and can choose from a number of upgrades of cabinets, flooring, plumbing fixtures and some appliances.

Prices will be in the high $200,000 range and, if all goes well, Ortega hopes to open the first model homes after the first of the year.

To contribute to the neighborhood feel of the project, the development will have a common recreation facility with a pool, deck, and an open pavilion. “It´s going to be a really nice community,” Kautz said.

The idea first began as a retirement type of center, but after exploring the market, Kautz and Ortega shifted to a project geared more toward the active adult. They believe the primary buyers will be in their 40s to 60s, although a couple with children might be interested in purchasing a home. “It´s not at all a restricted community,” Ortega said.

None of the townhouses have actually been offered, but Realtors and individuals are already making inquiries. “We´ve had a lot of interest,” Ortega said.

Calaveras Enterprise story by Craig Koscho.

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