Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith

Why, it seems like it was only 16.5 months ago that I forecast that Stonehaus was blowing hot air when they claimed that their “Belvedere” subdivision would be “affordable,” as the developer claimed it would be when they convinced the Board of Supervisors to approve it. Lo and behold, Brian McNeill writes in today’s Daily Progress that Stonehaus has gone and swapped buzzwords on us — now they’re “green”….and single-family houses “will cost somewhere in the $400,000s or $500,000s,” which is “affordable” if you have $3,000/month to spend on your mortgage. (Assuming that you want to spend no more than 30% of your income on your mortgage, that requires an annual household income of $119,880.) Stonehaus tells the DP that their motive isn’t profit, no-no, it’s asking themselves “every day, what’s the moral course?” The 675-unit development is going in on that big chunk of land on Rio Road, on the far side of 29 — you know, the one that got bulldozed a couple of years ago.

Erika Howsare explains in C-Ville Weekly that Stonehaus is angling for new urbanist development, mixed use, and Earthcraft certification.

They’d better get building quick. A new buzzword might come along.

A Utah developer plans 450k ft² of retail space for Zion Crossroads, Brian McNeill writes in today’s Daily Progress, described as “upscale retail outlet stores.” (“Upscale” being a euphemism meaning “no poor people here,” like “high-end.” It’s synonymous with putting an extraneous “e” at the end of the name of development, like “North Pointe.”) On top of that, the proposal calls for a 150k ft² convention center and 225k ft² of office space. The planned name is The Merchants Walk(e) at Zion Crossroads. The 119 acre property is located between 64 and 250, and is already zoned appropriately.