MOVILLE, Iowa | Located on the northern edge of Moville, The Ridge housing development offers potential residents a sweeping view of surrounding farmland, hills and the valley of the West Fork of the Little Sioux River.
Streets and infrastructure into the first phase of the 35-acre development were finished late last fall, a time when most housing starts begin to wind down for the year.
That hasn't slowed interest in the 34 lots available. One house already stands in the new subdivision, and five other lots had been sold through March 1. Jay Phipps, a Moville attorney representing the project's developer, Western Iowa Telephone, a northwest Iowa communications cooperative based in Lawton, said he expects more sales in coming weeks and months.
"Every week I'm getting phone calls. I think people are waiting for spring to get out there and look at it," Phipps said.
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The Ridge will have up to 80 lots when fully developed. Phipps said the strong interest would indicate that the next phase may not be that far off in the future. He said the lack of new housing in the $200,000-$250,000 price range in Moville has led to a lot of the interest. Of the potential buyers, Phipps said he's heard from many Moville residents looking to upgrade and residents of surrounding communities looking to move closer to Sioux City.
Builders also are asking a lot of questions.
"I have had several contractors interested in building spec homes," Phipps said.
The level of interest has not been surprising, he said, based on the work he currently does in real estate transactions in the area.
"I constantly have people looking for houses in the Moville area," he said.
Housing covenants require single-family homes be at least 1,500 square feet and two-story homes 1,750 square feet.
A playground park is scheduled to be built within the development, an obvious draw to families with young children. The subdivision also has a trail linking it to The Meadows Country Club golf course to the east.
A Moville native, Phipps said it's been great to see the potential for so many new homes being added to his home town.
"It's great, it's wonderful," he said. "It's good for the school, it's good for the community."
Western Iowa Telephone general manager Heath Mallory said last year that the time was right for the development.
"We recognized the need for affordable housing sites in Moville and began the process of planning this project a few years ago," Mallory said. "Given the demand for building sites, favorable borrowing rates for construction and home purchases as well as improving area economic indicators, we're confident this project will produce positive results for everyone involved."
More information on The Ridge can be found at www.theridgemoville.com.
