Going fast in Moses Lake
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years AGO
A worker adds masonry accents to a house in the Maple Grove development in Moses Lake. The first homes will be ready to move into later this month.
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald
The foundation is barely in place and this home has already been sold in the Maple Grove development near Grape Drive and Highway 17 in Moses Lake.
A construction worker works on a home in the Maple Grove development in Moses Lake. Homes are selling faster than they can be built, according to real estate agent Mark Fancher, who is handling sales for the development.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | September 2, 2022 1:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — There’s a lot happening in a little area by Highway 17 and Grape Drive, just a little north of the new roundabout. Houses are going up fast, and being snapped up even faster.
“We're selling them pretty rapidly,” said Mark Fancher of Coldwell Banker, Tomlinson Ranch & Home in Moses Lake, who is handling sales for the development. “I mean, we opened up sales in June, middle of June, and we've got 21 of them under contract.”
The Maple Grove development is one of three currently under development in Moses Lake by Redmond, Oregon-based Hayden Homes. There are 91 lots currently in development, Fancher said, including the 21 homes that Fancher said are under contract. As of Tuesday, there was one home finished in the development available for sale, according to Hayden’s website.
There are six different floor plans to choose from, according to Hayden’s website, with three-, four- and five-bedroom options available. Square footage ranges from 1,148 to 2,211. Pre-purchased homes can be customized on the company’s website with options like covered patios, tile floors, underground sprinklers and landscaping.
A major selling point, however, will probably be the price. The median home price in Grant County as of July is $395,000. The Maple Grove homes start at about $250,000.
“That changes based on the plan and the options and that kind of stuff,” explained Fancher. “And it changes over time.”
County records show that the property was purchased in March 2021 by HHIF V LLC, which has ties to Hayden Homes, for $645,698. Hayden Homes’ website describes the location as “the intersection of comfort and possibility.” A map in Hayden’s website shows three blocks of homes with a section set aside for a future city park. The development is 1.2 miles from Longview Elementary School, although currently there are no sidewalks along most of that route.
The first new homeowners will begin moving in about mid-September, Fancher said.
“We're still taking purchase agreements,” he said, “and we'll continue to build. It's just an ongoing process.”
Joel Martin can be reached via email at [email protected].
An earlier edition of this article incorrectly stated that the Maple Grove development was outside the Moses Lake city limits. This version has been updated.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.