N.Y. Project Opens Models After Near Sell Out

Just over one year after opening for sales, BelleFair at Rye Brook, N.Y. is opening six new models - and the project is already over 80% sold.

Spectrum Skanska, the developer of BelleFair, received a lot of press coverage during the approval process. Because of that high public interest, they decided to forego a model complex for the time being and focus more on the rest of the development in order to hit a hot market. They instead built an elaborate sales center that featured high-tech virtual reality tours and presentations.

The development, billed as a "new traditional hometown," is reminiscent of an old-fashioned neighborhood. BelleFair is designed to create pedestrian-friendly street-scapes and comes complete with a village green, meeting house, child care center and general store.

People have reacted so strongly to this concept that a lottery was held during the first phase of sales, restricting buyers to a manageable number. Since opening for sales in June of 1998, 195 of the 249 homes have been sold.

The models, which were planned at the beginning stages of the development, comprise four distinct collections that offer a total of 16 different home styles aimed at all target markets.

"We believe that having the new model homes will help our buyers better envision the many home styles available at BelleFair and make the experience more pleasurable," says Mitchell C. Hochberg, president of Spectrum Skanska.

The various home styles include single-family detached homes with tuck-under garages, maintenance-free single-family village homes and maintenance-free attached villas. There is also a 168-unit club-like senior rental residence to be managed by CareMatrix Corp., a leading provider of senior housing.

The homes range in size from 1640 to nearly 3300 square feet, and prices start in the low $400s.

Headquartered in Valhalla, N.Y., Spectrum Skanska is a fully autonomous homebuilding and development division of Skanska (USA), Inc. with revenues in excess of $4 billion. They are building and planning a wide range of housing throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

--Rob Fanjoy

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