Briar Chapel's Community Garden Flourishing

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Briar Chapel has added yet another amenity to the community for residents to enjoy... the Briar Patch community garden!

Members of the garden club have been busy maintaining this productive garden, and harvesting the fruits of their labor. The Spring crop included bok choy, spinach, various types of lettuce, radishes, chives and more. There are also two beds of beautiful flowers, which you'll see in the photo below that I took earlier today.

If you are interested in helping out with planting a Summer crop, we'll need to start looking for a home for you to purchase right away. Contact me today to schedule a personal tour, which will include the Briar Patch if you're interested.

Briar Chapel Builder Participating in "Parade of Playhomes" Fundraiser

McNeill-Burbank, one of the quality homebuilders in Briar Chapel, is building a playhome for the 19th annual Parade of Playhomes fundraiser taking place between April 1-May 6 at the American Tobacco District Campus in downtown Durham.

The "Sunshine Cottage" by McNeill-Burbank.

A total of four playhomes will be built for the fundraiser - three by homebuilders and a fourth by students at Southern High School in Durham. Three of the playhomes will be raffled off at 6pm on May 6 (you do not need to be present to win), and the remaining playhome will be sold via an online auction.

To see photos of the other entries and purchase raffle tickets, visit www.ParadeofPlayhomes.org. Tickets are only $3 each or 2 for $5.

All proceeds from this event will be donated to organizations that help prevent child abuse through family support programs and parent education. In the past 18 years, this event has raised over $100,000 to support child abuse prevention programs in our area.

If you would like a tour of the Sunshine Cottage above, or any of the other available homes in Briar Chapel, please contact me to schedule your visit.

Briar Chapel to Host Earth Day Celebration on April 16th

Briar Chapel will be hosting a series of events on April 16th to celebrate Earth Day. Come help me celebrate one of our favorite days of the year!

• 3rd Annual Briar Chapel 5K: starting at 9am, you can join me in running (or walking!) the scenic, USATF-certified course throughout Briar Chapel. Pre-registrants will receive a locally-made organic t-shirt by TS Designs. Following the race, there will be an awards ceremony with refreshments. Registration fees are $20 in advance and $25 on race day with proceeds to benefit the Abundance Foundation.


• Local Culinary Tour: starting at 1pm, begin your tour by picking up a Culinary Tour Guide at the Information Center, then visit each of Briar Chapel's model homes where well-known local chefs will showcase menu items recently created for Chatham County Schools, through a program designed to improve school lunches in the county dubbed the Chef Challenge. Featured chefs include: Jimmy Reale of The Carolina Inn, Colin Bedford of The Fearrington House, and Gregg Hamm & Kelly Taylor of the Natural Chef Program at CCCC. Chefs from other area restaurants, including Angelina's Kitchen, Saxapahaw General Store, Bean & Barrel, and Busy Bee Café, will also be on hand with signature dishes featuring locally grown ingredients.
  
  
• Hunt for Green: from 1 to 3pm, you can participate in a scavenger hunt where you'll learn all about the benefits of owning a green home in Briar Chapel. This exciting hunt will take you throughout the community, capturing photos and QR codes on your smart phone. You will then return to the information center to share your data, collect your prize, and be entered into a drawing for one of these fun prizes: a 1-month pool pass to Briar Chapel for a family of four, a rain barrel water capturing system (a $100 value), a $25 gift certificate to one the local restaurants featured at Briar Chapel Earth Day celebration, two tickets to the Pepper Festival courtesy of the Abundance Foundation (a $50 value), and an energy saving monitor courtesy of McNeill-Burbank.


• Outdoor Learning Activities: from 2 to 4pm, come join me and my fellow "Green Thumb" club members and take part in fun educational demonstrations at The Briar Patch, our newest park and community garden maintained entirely by residents. There will be activities for all ages: the Abundance Foundation will be talking about local food and renewable energy, Farmer Doug will be discussing the importance of seed saving and various gardening tips, and residents will provide an educational discussion for children in our "Pots for Tots" gardening class.
  
  
• Beer Garden: while you're visiting the Briar Patch, enjoy some refreshments provided by local businesses, including Sugarland Bakery and Fullsteam Brewery.
  
  

• Q&A with author Jonathan Bloom: from 2 to 3pm, the author of American Wasteland will be on hand to share insights on local food recovery and on how to eliminate food waste in the home. The discussion will be followed by a question and answer session. You can even register to win a 110 gallon composter (a $100 value).

Come join me in the activities on April 16th from 9am to 4pm. If you would like to discuss the possibility of moving to Briar Chapel, I would be happy to do so. Contact me today!

Briar Chapel "Pooch" Park Grand Opening

On Saturday, residents will celebrate the grand opening of the much-anticipated Briar Chapel "Pooch" Park.


Complete with separate areas for large and small dogs, time-out areas (aka "penalty boxes"), a shade structure, and beautiful landscaping, Briar Chapel's newest park is going to be a big hit. This amenity is a great addition to the development, and gives residents yet another reason to spend more time outside and socialize with neighbors - whether they have a dog or not.

During the opening celebration, folks from the Dogwood Veterinary Clinic will be on hand for nail trims and to share some great tips on nutrition and dental hygiene.

If you're a dog-lover like me and would like to live near the new park, there are some great new homes available for sale that you should check out. Starting in the low-$200s, these popular cottage homes have 3 bedrooms and are approximately 1500+/- sqft in size. Two of the four have screened porches, and several have a garage. These are worth a look!



Please contact me if you're interested in learning more about any of the homes in Briar Chapel, including those near the Pooch Park. I would be honored to be your buyer's agent.

Vote Briar Chapel for Best Community

Briar Chapel has been nominated as one of the best communities in the 1st Annual "Best of Chapel Hill" Awards by Chapel Hill Magazine.

Voting ends April 15, and winners will be announced in the July/August issue of the magazine. Be sure to cast your vote today!

If you're not already convinced that Briar Chapel deserves to win, please give me an opportunity to show you around and introduce you to all that this unique development has to offer. I'm confident you will agree with my other clients - many of whom decided to make the move.

Briar Chapel’s Third Annual 5K Race

I hope you will join me again on Saturday, April 16th, for the running of the Third Annual Briar Chapel 5K Race!

The race starts at 8:00 am, and will follow a well-marked, USATF-certified 5K course. Proceeds will benefit the Abundance Foundation, whose purpose is to increase public awareness of sustainable energy usage and local food consumption.

Advanced registration is $20, which includes a locally-made organic cotton t-shirt and refreshments after the race from local vendors. Like last year, there will also be a kids' run that immediately follows the 5K. Awards will be presented to the top 3 overall men and women and top 3 men and women in each age group.

Don’t miss your chance to run this beautiful new course, check out the great amenities, tour the high-performance homes, and help support your local community. Race-day registration begins at 6:30 am. For more details, or to pre-register online, visit Active.com.

See you at the race!

Briar Chapel Commits $100,000 to Chatham County

Briar Chapel has just announced a $100,000 commitment to the Opportunity Chatham Campaign, a $3 million fundraising initiative spearheaded by the Chatham County Economic Development Corporation to drive and capitalize on the attraction of new business and retention of existing firms in the county. Newland Communities has pledged to pay the donation over a five-year period, with the final payment in 2014.

This is in addition to more than $42,000 that Briar Chapel donated to other local organizations and charities during 2010, including: Abundance Foundation, Woods Charter School, Chatham County Office of Human Relations, Triangle Off-Road Cyclists, Chatham County Arts Council, Green Home Builders of the Triangle, the Town of Chapel Hill and United Way of Chatham County.

Icy Day in Briar Chapel

The roads were a bit too icy this morning, so I decided to abandon my vehicle and walk back home. I snapped this photo while walking along the trails.

Informative signs, such as this one, have been installed throughout the development recently. They indicate points of interest along the trails, as well as aspects of nature and wildlife nearby.

These signs are similar to ones found in State Parks across NC, such as the Jordan Lake Educational State Forest nearby. The sign shown here addresses soils and topography, whereas the one installed along the walkway near the bridge explains how Pokeberry Creek is a stream/wetland complex.

When you have some time, I encourage you to explore the many miles of trails that Briar Chapel has to offer - either by foot or bike. In addition to getting some exercise, you might just learn something!

Briar Chapel's HOA Now Managed By EWPCM

The Board of Directors of Briar Chapel's HOA recently announced that East West Partners Club Management (EWPCM) would replace CAMS Management Company as Briar Chapel's HOA management company. This is great news for residents and prospective buyers.

EWPCM was founded in 1993 to provide management services to communities and other recreational facilities on a third-party basis throughout the US. It is a division of East West Partners, a national real estate development and management company with operations in North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, Florida and California. Locally, they are best known for developing master planned communities such as Woodcroft, Meadowmont, and East 54.

EWPCM's industry expertise and quality of service have already been demonstrated by Brittany Plumb, Briar Chapel's activity director. She is an employee of EWPCM.

Happy New Year!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy and prosperous New Year! If 2011 is the year for you to make a move, I hope you will consider Briar Chapel. Please contact Peter Winkler to schedule a private tour of the development, and learn what it is like to be a resident of this wonderful neighborhood.

Meet Briar Chapel's Activities Director

Buyers often ask me what type of events are planned by Brittny Plumb, Briar Chapel's full-time activities director.

As a resident, I can tell you that she does an incredible job putting together activities for both children and adults that enrich and entertain, as well as encourage neighbors to get to know each other better.

But, don't take my word for it. Browse the January 2011 Newsletter, and see for yourself what a wonderful job Brittny does.

When you decide to become a resident of Briar Chapel, so that you can start taking advantage of the many great activities she plans, I hope you will consider me as your buyer's agent.

Ansel Adams Visits Briar Chapel?

My brother-in-law took this shot while visiting the other day. Thanks to Briar Chapel's effort to preserve over 900 acres of trees, it doesn't get any more beautiful than this!

Newland Named 2010 Developer of the Year

Congratulations are in order for Newland Communities on being named Builder and Developer magazine's "Developer of the Year" for 2010!

Newland is the largest private developer of planned residential and urban mixed-use communities in the U.S., including Briar Chapel.

Read the full story.

For Sale: 1378 Great Ridge Parkway

Briar Chapel's second resale is the Hillcrest, from the Arbor Series by M/I Homes. Casually elegant, this home includes ~3313 heated sqft, 4 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths. It is currently being offered at $399,000.

The main level features a dramatic 2-story entry with split staircase, a formal dining room with trey ceiling, and a large eat-in kitchen with center island, stainless steel appliances, quartz counters and M/I's signature planning center. In addition to a half-bath for guests, there is a great room with gas fireplace located opposite the breakfast room as well as a study located off of the foyer with access to the front porch.

The second floor features a spacious owner's suite with a walk-in closet and ensuite bath with separate tub and shower. You will also find the laundry, three additional bedrooms and two full baths upstairs.

When the weather is nice, the screened porch is the perfect place to relax and rejuvenate, or watch the rest of the family enjoy the fenced-in rear yard. When you feel like venturing out, the Briar Club is a short distance away, which includes two salt-water pools, waterslides, a playground, and state-of-the-art fitness center.

If you would like to schedule a tour of this beautiful home, please contact Peter Winkler. I will be more than happy to point out its various green features, as well as show you the amenities that residents enjoy throughout Briar Chapel.

To view room dimensions and additional photos, please visit Realtor.com.

This post was made with permission of the listing agent.

Briar Chapel Featured in 2010 Parade of Homes

Now in its 27th year, the 2010 Parade of Homes showcases 42 new homes in our area and provides the chance for visitors to see the latest designs and technology trends. This free, self-guided tour is on October 2-3, 8-10, 15-17 from Noon to 5pm.

This year, Briar Chapel has five entries in the Parade:

26 Serenity Hill Circle: 2236 sqft / $324,210
1149 Great Ridge Parkway: 1867 sqft / $324,325
1243 Great Ridge Parkway: 2247 sqft / $418,411
50 Windy Knoll Circle: 2759 sqft / $425,000

208 Windy Knoll Circle: 2660 sqft / $425,900

Builders are putting a wide range of new technology on display this year, from the latest insulation applications to advanced home automation systems. This, of course, is in addition to the other green-building features that all builders must adhere to in Briar Chapel.

This year's event also enables builders to enjoy some friendly competition, as each home on the Parade is judged by a panel of industry representatives from other markets in our region. These judges examine the design, quality, and creativity that each entry demonstrates, resulting in a numerical grade for each house. Awards are given to homes that achieve the highest scores in each price category.

If you would like a guided tour of these homes, please contact Peter Winkler. I will be more than happy to point out the various green features that are available in these homes, as well as show you the amenities that residents enjoy throughout Briar Chapel.