Residents looking for a new home but who want to stay in the capital city will soon have the option of buying one on the Northside.
Twenty years after it started, the final phase of the Waterstone project is slated to begin this fall.
Waterstone is a small gated community off of Roxbury Road in Jackson, made up of high-end, single-family homes featuring French provincial architecture.
The second phase will include the construction of eight townhomes in four units. The townhomes will be the first of its kind in the development.
“We feel this is a missing product in the market now,” developer David Turner said. “Where they exist, they sell extremely well.”
Turner is working on the project, alongside developer H.C. Bailey and architect John Weaver.
Bailey said residents in the neighborhood are 100 percent on board with the project.
“I love Waterstone. I love living there. We’ve got a great group of neighbors,” he said. “I went to the neighbors with this plan and would not have done it had I not had unanimous support.”
Bailey began the gated community two decades ago. He purchased the property after deciding he wanted to downsize.
“Previously, I lived off of Old Canton Road. I had a house and 10 acres of yard. I lived there for 30 years and realized I didn’t need all of that house and yard,” he said. “We bought the land where Waterstone is now.”
Originally, the site included one home on seven acres. Bailey had plans to transform the property into a small subdivision with bigger homes on smaller lots.
“It worked great for the first 12 houses there. Then the market went away,” he said. “There are fewer and fewer large houses being built in Jackson. But there is a market for people who want to live in Jackson.”
The initial 12 homes range in size from 3,000 to 6,000 square feet. The dwellings range in price from $800,000 to $1 million.
By comparison, the townhouses will each be 2,500 square feet and will carry a price tag of just under $500,000.
“It depends on how individuals wants to fit and finish the inside,” Turner said.
He said the units are perfect for individuals looking to downsize, and for those looking for less maintenance.
The homes also will be some of the few new homes being built in Northeast Jackson. Typically, residents looking for new homes must look in Ridgeland, Madison or Gluckstadt.
“If you don’t want to maintain a large house and want to travel more, these units are very desirable,” Turner said.
Units will resemble existing houses in Waterstone, each with a single central entrance that will carry residents into a foyer. From there, residents will enter their individual homes.
The first floor will feature two bedrooms on the main floor and one master bedroom upstairs, Turner said.
Homes will have a French Provincial architecture style.
The style features steep slate roofs, painted brick, large windows and individual courtyards.
“We are using a similar material palette and color palette throughout,” architect John Weaver said. “The materials we’ve kept consistent throughout the project, to give continuity to the homes.”
Homes also will be designed so owners can “age in place,” meaning they can be converted with very little effort to allow for independent living for seniors.
“It’s for people who move in and don’t need grab bars, certain lighting, et cetera, but they can be converted at very little effort for an older person to live at home independently,” Turner said. “It has a zero-entry shower, and zero entry from the garage.”
Zero entry means residents don’t have to step up to get into the shower or home itself.
Like other homes in the neighborhood, the townhouses will have parking in the rear.
