Housing development construction under way
A $90 million housing development is under construction at a 306-acre site off Beaver Grade Road in Moon.
The Meritage Group, of Murrysville, Westmoreland County, is developing the 293-unit Sonoma Ridge.
Meritage will build 60 carriage houses and eight duplexes, priced from $270,000.
Heartland Homes of Lawrence, Washington County, will build 217 single-family houses: 134 houses in the Village of Sonoma Ridge priced from $260,000 and 85 houses in the Estates of Sonoma Ridge, priced from $380,000.
Paragon Homes of Pittsburgh will join Heartland in the construction of some of the single-family houses.
The carriage homes -- four units connected with second floor spare bedrooms -- offer first floor living with a master bedroom and bath on the first level.
They, and the duplexes, will be located in a section called Berringer Court.
Village homes will have square footage of up to 3,000, while Estate homes will offer sizes starting at 2,900 square feet, said Lorrie Andria, who is marketing the houses for Heartland.
"There are 15 houses sold or under construction, with one family residing in the plan," she said.
Model homes, such as Heartland's Portsmouth, are available. The single-family houses will have second floor master bedrooms and baths.
A grand opening celebration will be held on two consecutive weekends, April 29 and 30 and May 6 and 7, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The site is located opposite Cherrington Pointe, a gated housing complex.
Plans call for the development to be built in four phases over a five-year period.
The development will occupy 150 acres, with the remaining land left in its wooded state.
Amenities planned include an adult swimming pool, children's pool, a 5,000-square-foot clubhouse with theater and exercise rooms, a multipurpose field, a tot-lot playground and 2 miles of walking trails that connect to the Montour Trail.
The developers will install sidewalks and streetlights.
The property was bought in a joint venture by Meritage and Heartland during the summer of 2004 for $4.33 million from PPG Industries.
PPG, which purchased the property in 1991, had planned to use it for a research facility but later decided against the project.