One of the largest residential developments in the northern suburbs, Gregg’s Landing in Vernon Hills offers all the amenities buyers expect in upscale suburban projects: a golf course, a 40-acre lake and homes with volume ceilings, great rooms, walk-in closets, luxury master suites, and two- and three-car garages.
Buyers in Inverness, one of several subdivisions within the 1,100-acre Gregg’s Landing, want all the trappings of suburban luxury, minus the responsibilites for landscaping, lawn mowing, snow removal or even chores like taking the shirts to the dry cleaners.
Inverness, built by Zale Homes, attempts to bring all of the convenience that you’d find in a city condominium, where a building concierge can arrange laundry pick-up or dog walking, says Isabelle Niemann, director of sales for the Inverness project.
Time-pressed busy professionals and retirees who don’t want to be bothered with household chores, yet who are still drawn to single-family structures, have been among the buyers so far in the “maintenance-free” Inverness subdivision, says Niemann. Base prices of the nine home designs available, which include two ranches, range from $308,400 to $339,800.
Busy has been the tempo of many lives for the last couple of decades, and the maintenance-free idea, where homeowners pay a monthly assessment fee to have snow removal and landscaping done for them, is hardly new. But the 134-home Inverness community is the only maintenance-free subdivision among the nine single-family neighborhoods in the entire Gregg’s Landing development. Moreover, Zale Homes recently put together an “Executive Concierge” program for the community, whereby a maid service, dry cleaner, limousine service and pet sitter will provide discounts to Inverness homeowners. Discounts between 10 and 20 percent will be offered to homeowners from the companies, who hope to capitalize on the economies of serving several neighbors at once.
Homes in Inverness look like the single-family residences in other communities within Gregg’s Landing that aren’t maintenance-free, although there are patches of common area where flowers and shrubs bloom. Homeowners will pay about $135 a month, says Niemann, for their lawn and garden care and snow removal.
One of the furnished models open to the public in Inverness is the Coventry, a 2,554-square-foot three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath, two-story base priced at $329,200. One of the reasons buyers select that particular plan, says Niemann, is because they like the exterior design of the brick and cedar home, which tucks the front door on the side, allowing the front window of the home’s sunken living room to be the focus of the front exterior.
Inside, the large windows throughout the house add light to the airy design, which features arched doorways, 10-foot and volume ceilings, and skylights in the great room. Several of the nine designs in Inverness, including the Coventry, feature first-floor master suites. Some buyers like to use the loft upstairs for a home office, explains Niemann, and then treat the downstairs as their personal retreat.
In another furnished model, the 2,817-square-foot Devonshire, a first-floor den (11 feet, one inch by 14 feet, 6 inches) on the first floor next to the family room can serve as a home office, while upstairs the master bedroom (14 feet, 6 inches by 16 feet), master bath, along with his and her walk-in closets, have a private feel because they’re situated across a wide upstairs hallway from the two secondary bedrooms.
Fourth bedrooms are optional in both models. In fact, says Niemann, the floor plans allow buyers lots of living options, now and in the future. At 2,153 to 2,817 square feet, the nine home designs can easily accommodate children or guests.
Inverness is built by Zale Homes, the company that also developed Gregg’s Landing, which is on the property formerly occupied by the Cuneo home and gardens, once known as Hawthorne Mellody Farms.
The Cuneo home and gardens are still intact, situated at the south end of Gregg’s Landing. The estate, which was owned by John Cuneo, a printer, is open for tours to the public.
Zale recently announced ground-breaking on property fringing the Cuneo estate that’s earmarked for 250 multifamily units. When those and all other home sites are complete, Gregg’s Landing will total some 2,100 homes. The project, which began in 1996, should be complete about 2005, predicts a Zale executive.
Though Zale is the predominant builder, other homes in other subdivisions within Gregg’s Landing are built by United Homes, Realen Homes, Rembrandt Homes and Samuels Homes.
Zale recently announced it will be hosting the 1999 Parade of Homes at Gregg’s Landing, which was also the 1997 Parade site. The custom homes in the Parades represent the most expensive housing available in the Gregg’s Landing development, some costing more than $1 million.
By the opening of the 1999 Parade, a new entrance to Gregg’s Landing at Milwaukee Avenue will open, allowing traffic to travel across the community from east to west.
An additional traffic route will be welcome in Vernon Hills, which was the fastest growing municipality in Illinois during both the 1970s and 1980s. It now has a population of about 20,000, says a village spokesperson.
Some of the young children who moved there in the last couple of decades are now ready for high school. A high school campus, which will be the second of Libertyville Community High School District, is scheduled to open in the fall of 1999 in the village of Vernon Hills.
To visit Inverness at Gregg’s Landing, take Interstate Highway 94/294 to Town Line Road (Illinois Highway 60), go west to Butterfield Road, then north to the second monument entry at North Huntington Drive. Turn right to Inverness Drive, then right to the sales center. Hours are 10 to 6 p.m. daily. For information, call 847-362-4499.
