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The Elkhart Truth: March 18, 2004
MIDDLEBURY: In the rolling hills of the former Fisher farm, 2 miles north of Middlebury, a dream came true for two Middlebury area women and their husbands -- a rural subdivision that includes the best of their rural childhood.
They call it The Farm.
"This is our first venture into real estate development," said Gail Gibson Hostetler, co-developer with her sister, Linda Gibson Parker.
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Welcome home: A gracious, friendly rural community is planned for the former Fisher farm, 2 miles north of Middlebury. Ron Hostetler and Gail Gibson Hostetler (above) of Hostetler's Landscaping, along with Gail's sister, Linda Parker, and her husband, Lee (not pictured), are developing a 109-acre residential community with 1- to 5-acre lots for those who appreciate rural living. It's called The Farm.
The Farm
Location: The Farm is a 109-acre rural subdivision 2 miles north of Middlebury on S.R. 13, just north of C.R. 10 and within Middlebury Community Schools district.
What's offered: Now offering phase one, 29 residential lots (1 to 5 acres) in a planned country estate development with hills, ponds and trees. Minimum home size is 2,200 square feet for a ranch, 2,400 square feet for a two-story house. Many lots suitable for homes with walk-out basements and Carriage House guest quarters with additional garage/storage for boats and RVs. The community eventually will have 70 homes. Streets have storm sewers and will be maintained by Elkhart County. Homes will have individual wells and septics. The Farm Community Association will maintain the fence, the trees and grass along Old Country Lane and the topiary.
Developers: Ron and Gail Hostetler of Middlebury along with their son, Landon, and Lee and Linda Parker of Phoenix, Ariz.
Cost of lots: Beginning in the high $30,000s.
Information: Call Country Lane Development Group at 825-2340 or see the Web site: www.CountryLaneDevelopment.com. |
"With my husband Ron's business -- Hostetler Lawn and Landscaping of Middlebury -- we've had experience even though we're not developers. We've done a lot of work in different subdivisions so over the years, we've seen what works and what does not work.
"A lot of the rural subdivisions are rural cities," said Hostetler. "People go out into the country to live but they end up living in a city environment out in the country.
Parker said, "So many homes being built are so sterile. They almost look like a fortress from the outside. We just want a real friendly country estate tone, but where people can have modern houses but with an old flare."
Hostetler added, "Our goal is have it where you're going out into the country but you're not chasing away the wildlife -- and you also have enough room that you don't feel like you're living right next door to someone.
"This whole place also is a haven for wildlife," said Hostetler. "The other day there were swans that flew in to our ponds. We have sand hill cranes and deer everywhere."
The sisters and their husbands will review architectural and landscaping plans for all new construction at The Farm.
"We are willing to forego the numbers of lots to keep our ideal of living in the country, but people will have the assurance that the neighbors are going to meet certain building standards."
"Our goal is to have porches and decks to extend living to outside -- to make it more of a neighborhood," said Hostetler. "There's just something about a porch -- it's so soothing and relaxing. People who don't have a porch don't realize what they're missing.
"We grew up on a farm," said Parker. "To us, it was like a fairyland. We had the woods and two creeks on our land and a quarter of a mile lane that our folks still live on here in Elkhart County.
"When my sister and I got a chance to buy the (Wilbur and Barbara Fisher farm), we thought how neat it would be if we could create a place like we grew up on with a country lane and the same kind of rolling hills as our family farm."
So the Fisher farmhouse, the barns and outbuildings will be removed.
"The Fishers continue to own a section of the land -- a beloved spot where they have gone on picnics and they will build a new home there," said Hostetler.
"Our son Landon and his wife, and my sister Linda and her husband will be living at The Farm, too. Our land connects and Landon has visions of 'through the woods to Grandmother's house I go.'
"He doesn't have children yet, but he wants to build a little path to connect his house to ours."
The lanes leading back into The Farm are not paved yet but the curbs are in.
"We were hoping to get the asphalt in last fall, but we ran out of time with the weather," said Hostetler. "We should have our streets paved by the first week of May.
"We grew up back of a country lane and wanted to call the lane leading back into The Farm 'Country Lane,' but that name was already taken so we called it Old Country Lane.
"We also drew names from the Uncle Remus stories of our childhood. We have Echo Valley, Briar Patch, Fire Fly, Fox Trail Crossing and Shadow Hill.
"We have a Homestead Hollow because of the Fisher's homestead and Fisher Pond.
"We also have Blackbird Pond and a pond called The Willows with Willow trees there.
"We've put heart and soul into this."
Parker added, "There's a very large fountain going in (Fisher pond) and right in front is 'The Farm' written in topiary. The same guy who did the Essenhaus in plants is doing ours.
"The field stone pillars in front are real stones we pulled from the farm and the lighting atop the pillars are replicas of 1860s lantern lighting-all copper.
"This is a dream of ours and we absolutely don't want to cut corners," said Parker. "We want to do it with the best materials and make a nice place for people to live because we're going to live there, too."
The Goshen News: June 27, 2004
NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENT OFFERS UPSCALE HOMES
MIDDLEBURY - A local developer is sowing high-end housing into the Middlebury landscape, allowing mature home buyers to reap the benefits for years to come.
The 70-site development, on 109 acres featuring rolling hills and three ponds, will include premier housing upwards of $300,000 for the homeowner who co-owner Gail Hostetler says "knows what he wants."
"We are not expecting these to be starter homes," said Hostetler, who partnered on the development with husband Ron and sister and brother-in-law Linda and Lee Parker to form Country Lane Development.
The proposal for upscale homes, which will run for 2,200 to 2,400 square feet, depending on layout and levels grew out of demand for executive housing, Hostetler said.
"Our thoughts were confirmed. There's just not that much available of that (type of home) in this area," she said.
Cedar Creek, a division of Pheasant Ridge, is the only other development featuring high-end housing the mid-to upper range within the Northridge school district. The developer's Farmington community offers housing the $150,000 to $200,000 range, said salesman Roger Cook.
According to Stan Miller, owner of Hallmark Excellence Realty, the market is there, even if the housing is not.
"I just had a listing there (in Cedar Creek), but that was just on a lot. We get some (looking for high-end housing). But it's not a lot," Miller said. "Those are going to be some pretty nice homes. It's different strokes for different folks."
Hostetler said the goal was to create a "country estate-type feeling."
Lot sizes vary from one to five acres, allowing flexibility between home sites.
"It was our conscious choice to have the lots bigger and not see how many houses we can fit in," Hostetler said.
Lots run from $30,000 to $90,000 depending on size and location, with the majority in the $40,000 to $50,000 range.
According to Miller, lot size could be a selling point.
"Those lots out in The Farm are going to be a lot bigger," he said.
"We expect the houses to be very individual, yet tasteful," she said. "We're looking for things like front porches and balconies, or side garages."
The Farm provides a leisurely lifestyle not far from the hustle and bustle of city life, Hostetler indicated.
"You can live here and have a slower-paced lifestyle and still have your jobs and be easily accessible," Hostetler said.
The Farm is two miles north of Middlebury on Ind. 13, just three miles south of the Indiana Toll Road and the Michigan state line and a few miles north of U.S. 20.
Developers say The Farm will thrive off its simplicity.
"Today, there is a growing shift in attitudes, tastes and preferences, a certain astuteness and sense of nostalgia," Linda Parker said. "Consumers have experienced the sterility of mass-produced housing developments which have made the shortcomings of typical builder subdivisions all too clear.
The Farm also includes a centrally-located topiary spelling out its moniker. The homestead is adorned by a natural wood fence, while two stone pillars, followed by dual rows of pear trees, outline the setting's main street.
"The lane was a priority for us," Hostetler said of the development's 400-foot main entrance.
Hostetler said a covenant will protect how properties are maintained. For example, out building such as carriage houses must match the architecture of the house, while mounting basketball goals directly to the garage will be prohibited.
"We have pretty good control of what goes on around it," Hostetler said of the development.
The first spec home should go up this summer, with additional homes available in the fall, Hostetler explained.
"We'll have control over what builders can bring in," she said. "We feel the need for an executive market, so we're not cutting corners."
For more information on The Farm, call (574) 825-2340 or visit the web site at www.CountryLaneDevelopment.com
The Goshen News: June 27, 2004
RUNNING A FAMILY BUSINESS MEANS MORE THAN SHARING FAMILY NAME
MIDDLEBURY - For Gail Hostetler, running a family business means more than just sharing the family name. For the co-owner of Country Lane Development, it means working with family side by side.
The four-member team, featuring Gail's husband, Ron, and sister and brother-in-law Linda and Lee Parker, is developing real estate development The Farm, just north of Middlebury.
"It's been a very hands-on project," she said. "It's our goal to make this the best it can be."
Gail and Ron worked side by side on setting the initial aesthetics of the 109-acre site, including planting the entry-way's pear trees, building the site's perimeter fence, laying down the dirt and designing the development's entryway pillars.
"We're a good team," Hostetler said of the joint venture, "We have our own strengths."
In a nutshell, Linda is the creative one, and does the marketing; Gail is more into details, and keeps the books; Ron supplies the equipment; and Lee, owner of U.S. Land, handles the financial aspects.
This isn't the Hostetler's first take at a family business. Ron, a fifth-generation son from Middlebury, is the third-generation owner of Hostetler Landscaping.
The couples say they're not consumed by running The Farm, either.
"This is not our main business. We all have our own businesses outside of this business. This is just an investment," Hostetler explained.
The love of The Farm stemmed from the sisters' growing up near Jefferson Elementary, where farmland featuring long lanes and sparkling ponds once stood in abundance. The two are headed back to having that lifestyle - and sharing it with family - again.
"Obviously, we have the lane again," Hostetler said of the 400-foot street leading into the subdivision.
The Hostetlers built a cabin right down from the development on what used to be their gravel pit, and their son Landon is eyeing a lot at the farm. The Parkers, who divide their time between Alaska, where Lee is from and Arizona, are considering returning to Middlebury, as well.
"My sister has a lot in mind right next to my son," Gail said.
Seeing their idea come to fruition has also been rewarding.
"Before, there's a thought, and then to start creating from the bottom up, and then to watch that dream come true," Hostetler said. "This has been a fun project. We've enjoyed every minute of it."
Elkhart Truth Saturday, March 06, 2004
Middlebury: Development group announces subdivision
MIDDLEBURY -- The Country Lane Development Group recently announced the grand opening of Phase I of "The Farm," a 109-acre subdivision 2 miles north of Middlebury on S.R. 13.
Lots ranging from 1 to 5 acres with hills, ponds, trees and views will feature custom-built homes with a country estate theme. Many of the 70 homesites are designed to accommodate walk-out basements and carriage/guest houses with room for RV and boat storage. Lots are offered starting in the high $30's.
Phase I road paving and landscaping of the 400-foot, tree-lined entry lane will be completed this spring.
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