Seeing what it takes to be green Tour of Westmoreland County Conservation District includes site where condos will be built Thursday, October 11, 2007 By Michael A. Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteWhen developer Richard Kacin first viewed a 21-acre wooded plateau not far from Route 22 in Murrysville, he envisioned a development of luxury condominiums conforming to the existing environment and not vice versa. While other developers would have taken the quicker, easier and cheaper step of bulldozing, clear cutting and hauling away topsoil, Mr. Kacin wanted his planned development, Marquis Place, to be environmentally responsible by not creating erosion and additional stormwater runoff. "Typically, they would knock down all of the trees and foliage. We didn't do that. We knew the perimeter slopes and large trees were assets," Mr. Kacin said. "We were very sensitive to the site constraints." Marquis Place was but one of several environmentally innovative developments and practices highlighted Friday by the Westmoreland Conservation District during a daylong bus tour, titled Floods & Fixes. About 50 elected officials, municipal workers and engineers visited sites in Murrysville and Greensburg to view new steps being taken to reduce flooding and pollution. Jim Pillsbury, the conservation district's hydraulic engineer and the bus tour leader, said he is encouraged by the growing trend toward environmental responsibility. In southwestern Pennsylvania we have a large number of counties and municipalities that are environmentally aware and [Westmoreland County] might be a leader in southwestern Pennsylvania," he said during a break in the tour. "But when you look across the country such as at the Chesapeake Bay area and the Pacific Northwest, people there are many steps ahead of us as far as being environmentally aware. "So, on the one hand we're doing very well, but on the other hand more can be done. More and more people are starting to use best management practices." Such as, he said, what Mr. Kacin is doing with Marquis Place, where currently only a clubhouse and a pool have been built. The development will have minimal paving, reducing runoff, with vehicle parking underneath the buildings. Already constructed is an 8-foot-deep detention pond in front of the clubhouse that is attractive as well as helpful in reducing runoff. Engineer Bob Mitall, of R.F. Mitall & Association Inc., the firm that designed the development, said the eco-friendly design resulted because Mr. Kacin "thought outside the box. Early on we realized we had to have something to fit the land. This fits in with Westmoreland County and fits with best practices. "It costs the client more money up front and you have to fuss with quite a bit to get the elevations just right, but it's worth it. We didn't have to take any dirt off the site." One of the results of all of that, Mr. Pillsbury said, is reducing the possibility of landslides. The land is ready for construction of two buildings containing 44 luxury condominiums each. The units will range in price from $275,000 to $580,000. Construction of the first building will commence once 22 clients sign on, about 10 more than they currently have committed, Mr. Kacin said.
$40 million condo project started in Murrysville By Mary Ann Slater When completed, Marquis Place will include 88 condominiums on 22 acres. It is one of four housing projects underway by Kacin Companies of Murrysville. Jason Corna, marketing and information coordinator for Marquis Place, said the target market for the condominiums -- which range in price from $275,000 to $586,900 -- are active adults, 50 years and older, who want to downsize their homes as their children leave. According to Corna, market data shows that few condos have been built in recent years in the eastern Pittsburgh suburbs... Corna said ... buyers looking to simplify their lives. They want quality in their new homes, he said, while avoiding the hassles of cutting huge lawns or tackling remodeling projects. "They want to shut the door and leave,"... "It's a complete lifestyle. But just because they are getting older, they're not slowing down." "They still have active lifestyles," echoed Kimberly Loszewski of The Savvy Group, marketer for Kacin. To that end, Marquis Place includes a heated outdoor pool, a putting green and a fitness room on the second floor of its clubhouse. Work is complete on the clubhouse, pool and putting green. The next step is the construction of a four-story building consisting of 44 two- and three-bedroom condos...A second four-story building with a similar number of condos also is planned.Kacin will install a security gate for Marquis Place when all the units are built..." it is more for privacy than safety," Corna said. "You want to come here, you want your privacy."Condos will range in size from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet and include nine-foot ceilings, deluxe appliance packages and granite counter tops. Residents will pay a monthly maintenance fee of about $223. Kacin's other housing projects are Summerset at Frick Park in Squirrel Hill, The Reserve at Fox Chase in Harmarville and Edgewater in Oakmont.
Developers hope to attract current Murrysville residents by Tom McGee When Murrysville residents are ready to retire or move away from Route 22, they soon might have more alternatives that will allow them to stay in the area. The developers of Marquis Place, off of School Road South, hope their new facility will be that alternative. Jason Corna, of Kacin Co., said the new housing development will give people the chance to stay active while not being worn out by their daily chores. "I don't think anyone retires these days," Corna said. The community, which held a grand opening in August to attract potential tenants, will try to provide a haven for lifelong Murrysville residents and others who prefer the sounds nature rather than the traffic of Route 22. Corna said the community will include its own park to maintain that scene. "All the trees are going to stay," he said. "We wanted to keep that feeling." The goal of the development is to provide an alternative that allows current residents to stay in the area they grew up in without having to move away...
Marquis Place SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES: Low-Impact Development This new residential development is a model for conservation, and for new ways of thinking about the communities we create. Here, the developer is creating modern, upscale housing (two 44-unit condominiums) with a shared club house and pool in the center, woods on three sides, and a walking trail that will lead to nearby Duff Park and, longer-term, connect with the Westmoreland Heritage Trail (see pages 9-10). The developer will use only 8 acres of this 22-acre site for the build-out part of the community by working with the natural characteristics of the property and by using the land wisely. His design locates the buildings on the portions of the site that are naturally level and so totally eliminates the need for conventional grading and fill. And the living spaces will be built vertically (as three- and four-story residences), rather than spreading them out (as single-family, detached homes). The result is far less disturbance to the land…and more natural areas for everyone to enjoy. Another benefit of this model conservation community is the way it will greatly minimize the amount of stormwater runoff. Fourteen acres of the site will be left natural – as grassy slopes and woods and green spaces where rain can infiltrate. The amount of paved surfaces will be limited; the development has only one circular road, and all residential parking is indoors, on the ground fl oor of the buildings. The reduced amount of stormwater runoff from this community will be managed by an innovative pond designed to keep a permanent level of water at all times. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the pond will help local water quality by holding the stormwater in place to allow any sediment to drop out. For more information: Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County (724) 836-7048, www.smartgrowthpa.org. Developer A. Richard Kacin (l) and Westmoreland Conservation District Chairman J. Roy Houston review the innovative conservation plans for Kacin Companies’ new Murrysville development, Marquis Place. R.F. Mitall Associates is the project engineer.
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