MOSES LAKE — One of Othello’s biggest developers just started its first new housing development in Moses Lake.

“We’ve been building in Othello for the past 12, 13 years, and then moved to the Quincy area seven, eight years (ago),” said Angel Garza, owner of Othello-based Palos Verdes. “We’ve always had our eye on Moses Lake.”

Garza was there Wednesday to cut the ribbon at Sandhill Place, the new Palos Verdes development in Mae Valley. Palos Verdes has 31 lots under development, Garza said, with right of first refusal on another 50 or so, including some that face the Moses Lake Golf Club.

The homes at Sandhill Estates are a little different from Palos Verdes’ previous floor plans, Garza said, something he had some reservations about at first.

“We had a plan that we started with (and) it was kind of hard for me to (use a different plan),” Garza said. “It’s not that I’m old school, but I said to my team and my kids, ‘Why are we moving from a house that is selling? It’s doing good for us.’ They said, ‘No, no, no, let’s get into a modern plan, because that’s what’s coming down the pike.’ I listened to them, and this is what’s going on. This is an awesome built home.”

The homes have stucco exteriors, upgraded cabinets, laminate floors, stainless steel appliances and other amenities that would be considered upgrades but are standard with the Sandhill Place homes, Garza said.

Each house comes with two air conditioners, Garza said.

“You can actually be in the living room at the temperature you want,” Garza said. “When you have a house with high ceilings, you set your temperature gauge at 70 (degrees). By the time you (get that to the right temperature), your (other) rooms are freezing because it’s a smaller area to cool.”

The homes are already selling, said Jesse “Weno” Dominguez, managing broker at Imagine Realty, which is handling sales for the development.

“We just started (and) we have two sales right now,” Dominguez said. “We’re starting to get a lot of showings, a lot of interest in this neighborhood.”

The homes are customizable, Dominguez said, and in the early stages the buyer can choose their preferred lot as well.

“They can choose the color of the home, the cabinets, laminate; they can do a lot of semi-custom,” Dominguez said. “Our standard is everybody else’s upgrade.”

The homes are built in 90-120 days, Dominguez said, and prices start at just under $400,000.

The Rev. Jorge Castro, pastor at Bethel Assembly of God in Othello, led an opening prayer in Spanish, with interpretation by Pastor Mike Alvarado, asking for blessings and safety for all involved in the construction project.

Before cutting the ribbon, Garza gave credit to his wife Yolanda.

“She’s been in the middle of everything,” Garza said. “Every decision that’s made in this business goes to her. And she says, ‘Well, pray about it.’”

Development in the Mae Valley area has boomed over the last few years, with Hayden Homes, Pro Made and others selling homes as fast as they can be put up. But buyers face a drawback in that access to shopping and other amenities requires taking the freeway into town. The closure of the Hansen Road overpass makes that even more inconvenient, as residents have to drive the extra five miles to Hiawatha Road to get onto I-90 and then backtrack.

Garza anticipates that as the residential neighborhood grows, business will follow.

“As soon as they finish that bridge … I think something will go in (by I-90),” Garza said. “We need something on this side of the lake … some kind of a store where people don’t have to travel all the way into town for small stuff like milk and bread. I think there’ll be somebody on top of that, because there’s enough homes to (support) it.”

    A finished home at Sandhill Place in Mae Valley. The design of these homes is a little different from Palos Verdes’ past developments, said owner Angel Garza.
  

    The homes at Sandhill Place take 90-120 days to build, said Imagine Realty Managing Broker Jesse “Weno” Dominguez.
  

    The kitchen in the model home at Sandhill Place Phase 3 in Mae Valley. The Sandhill Place homes feature stainless steel appliances and granite backsplashes.