Getting your player ready...
Jenna Merz, lawyer and now stay-at-home mom to kids two-and-four years, loved the restaurant scene in Wash Park, but wouldn’t let the children go into the front yard alone…”not even in the backyard,” she recalls. She and husband Monte gave so little thought to moving that they re-financed their house…the week before they stumbled on a neighborhood ten miles west that was so appealing, they decided then-and-there to pack up and go.
You can see what captured them today at Infinity Home Collection at Solterra – Tuscan-style, master-planned area in the shadow of the foothills near Red Rocks and the famous Dinosaur Ridge (Monte Merz took little Sadie, 4, and Wyatt, 2, up there last week to see the Jurassic tracks). Infinity has seven plans at Solterra, two ranches, three traditional 2-stories, and two main-floor masters – including a wide-open “Isabel” that that was the deal-maker for the Merz family. “Jenna was smitten by it,” said Monte. He’s now spending some of his own down-time riding his mountain bike up nearby trails like Apex and Mt. Falcon.
Meanwhile, the kids are exploring their neighborhood with newfound freedom. “There are not many places where you can find these features,” said Infinity General Manager Dave Steinke, noting that his homes at Solterra are designed to draw a diverse mix of buyers – young families, but also the down-sizing crowd. Mike and Dana Naylor, moving here from coveted Carmel, Calif., as their kids entered college, drew a circle around Denver at 15-minutes from downtown, and began searching for a home. “We wanted to have the resources of the city, but also wanted space and openness,” says Dana. Three weeks later they were writing a contract with Infinity. “This had everything,” adds Mike. “Carmel felt like old people, now we’re starting to feel young again.”
Both couples take advantage of the access to downtown – but are also exploring a bunch of hip, little dining attractions in historic downtown Golden (Golden Hotel and Grappa Bistro) and in scenic Morrison (Blue Cow and Café Prague). They’re great for date nights,” says Jenna Merz – adding that their new place is also five minutes from a Safeway, and close to Rooney Ranch Elementary (8 for 10 at GreatSchools.com).
If you’re trying out any of the local dining, save room for some wine and cheese that Steven Kruse has out today in Infinity’s two models (from the high $5s); and be sure to see Solterra’s terrific Retreat community center (infinity-edge pool, great view and lots of events). Take C-470 south from I-70 to Alameda and turn east to Indiana; or from Lakewood take Alameda to Indiana, south to Indiana Way.
If you go…
WHERE: Infinity Home Collection at Solterra, Vita series of luxury Tuscan-styled ranch, main-floor master and 2-story homes with open space and lavish amenities; wine & cheese today. Take C-470 south from I-70 to new interchange at Alameda Pkwy and head east 1 mi. to Indiana, then south 0.6 mi. to Indiana Way and rt.
PRICE: From $589,900
WHEN: Wine & cheese today, Noon until 5 p.m.
PHONE: 720-281-0467
WEB: InfinityHomeCollection.com
Mark Samuelson is president of Samuelson & Associates, a homebuilding/real estate communications firm. You can e-mail him at mark@samuelsonassoc.com.
