Cascades' Future Includes Condos, Marina

By GREG JUNEK
Business Editor

While Tyler enjoys a renewed rush of building activity pushing farther down the South Broadway Avenue corridor, the west side of town, too, has quietly been growing, with upscale condominiums, homes, new clubhouse construction, townhomes and beautification in natural settings.

Lew Anderton, an owner of The Cascades development, a private community and golf course on the southern and western sides of Lake Bellwood, said building is on a fast track, with high demand.

"We just had the best year we've ever had - bar none," he said.

And a majority of the customers have been local, Anderton said, leading him to believe well-to-do Tylerites have wanted this type of community for some time.

A few years ago when Anderton started developing the community, he described a plan for high-end, multi-million dollar homes, condominiums, a new golf course, nature trails and flora and fauna protection along with man-made touches to enhance the aesthetics. Now, he said, naysayers should take note that these things are coming to pass.

Anderton and Bill Cawley purchased the former Briarwood Golf Course in 2002 and opened The Cascades in 2003.

Four years later, investment in residential structures - speculative and custom - the new clubhouse and some other amenities has totaled about $320.8 million, Anderton said.

CONDOS

Perhaps the most noticeable projects immediately seen when entering The Cascades, aside from the construction of the new clubhouse, are a series of condominium buildings - Cascades Lake Towers - at the edge of Lake Bellwood.

Steve Braley, Cascades president, said the first phase of condominiums will consist of two on the lake and one on the golf course.

Construction began on the condos in November 2006. The first building is scheduled for a January 2008 completion, with the remaining two of the first phase completed in March and May.

"Each building is four stories, with an underground parking garage," Braley said.

Each unit will be allotted two parking spaces in the garage, and owners can either use the stairs or take an elevator up to their floors.

Each building will have four floors, with seven units on each floor. They will include three three-bedroom units, three four-bedroom units and one two-bedroom unit.

Unit size begins at about 1,500 square feet for the two-bedroom unit, which starts in the high $160,000 range, Anderton said.

They top out at about 4,000 square feet with 4 1/2-baths, for about $795,000

Jared Mathews, sales director, said no matter the size of the townhomes, they will share many of the same upscale amenities.

"They all have a high-end finish-out, with granite, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors and 10- and 12-foot ceilings," Mathews said.

In future condo development, an 18,000-square-foot penthouse unit will be offered, for about $3.5 million. Anderton said this will be the highest-end condo available, with a 12-car, private garage, a private elevator and a dining room capable of seating 55 people.

COTTAGES/MARINA
In addition to the condos by the lake, the addition is working on 15 lakefront cottages, scheduled for a fall 2008 completion. It will also build a marina and lake club.

Residents in the condos or cottages will not have far to walk to get to a restaurant, Braley said. The 90,000-square-foot clubhouse on the hill nearby, and under construction in front of the old clubhouse that served Briarwood Golf Course and now serves as The Cascades offices, will have a restaurant.

The lake club will have a less formal eatery of indoor or outdoor dining and serving salads, sandwiches, coffee and wine. It will also have locker rooms.

The swimming pool is anticipated for completion in the spring and the marina in the summer.

TOWNHOMES
Elsewhere in the development, crews are constructing The Mansions Luxury Townhomes, which will be leased.

When completed within a year, The Mansions will have 320 units. Some are completed and occupied, Anderton said.

Nearby, a European spa is scheduled for a February 2008 opening. Anderton said its amenities will include a health food bar, a coffee bar and a hair salon.


HOMES

Now, 25 homes are occupied, and 25 are scheduled to start construction in the next 60 days, Anderton said. All of the homes to be constructed are in the "million dollar-plus range," he said.

Braley said the development is planning to again have The Cascades Azalea Home Tour during the 2008 Azalea and Spring Flower Trail. About 12 homes will be showcased, and the event will include a luxury car show.

Proceeds will benefit the East Texas Crisis Center and the Tyler Museum of Art.

OTHER AMENITIES

For golfers, a short gain practice complex will open in the spring, Braley said. The complex will be an area for golfers to practice shots of 50 yards or less.

It will have its own putting green and another green for chipping and sand trap practice. It will also have a series of target greens in 10-yard increments for golfers to practice their four-wedge package.

Anderton said another area of the development will have two water features, each consisting of a series of ponds with man-made waterfall connecting them. Water will be recirculated from the lower ponds to the upper ponds for a continuous flow.

The newest area of development, south of the townhomes and north of Spur 364, will be The Mansions Seniors, an age-restricted senior living area, Anderton said. Although no structures have been built, it is scheduled to have 62 homes starting at $180,000. It will also have a seniors' activity center.

And the development is continuing to work to identify and protect the plant and wildlife within its borders, he said. A hiking trail system has been established.