Neighborhood of the week: Riviera Walk at Riverstone

This weekend, ActiveWest Builders is introducing its newest community, Riviera Walk at Riverstone.

If you're not familiar with the neighborhoods that ActiveWest is creating in our area, you're in for a treat. This local company is known for its beautiful, award-winning high performance efficient homes designed to achieve United States Green Building (USGBC) LEED and Energy Star certification. It's raising the bar for building healthy, green homes, and is quickly establishing itself as the leader in constructing high quality, distinctive homes that are as smart as they are beautiful.

"That's just how we roll," said Sharon Cunningham, director of sales and marketing for ActiveWest Builders.

Riviera Walk is a private gated community on the Spokane River designed for active "lifestylers," snowbirds, professionals, and those who appreciate the unique combination of urban living and accessibility to the great outdoors. Located in the ever-growing village of Riverstone, with private access to the Centennial Trail, this new community is walking distance to a host of restaurants, movies, and specialty boutiques. Ideally located close to downtown Coeur d'Alene, it's perfect for anyone wanting to live in the midst of the activity of Riverstone, but in a single-family home.

Homes in Riviera Walk are one- and two-story semi-custom, ranging from 1,500 to 2,650 square feet of main floor living. Homeowners work with the builder to create their dream home. You can select your own color schemes and materials. If you want a stone fireplace surround instead of tile, they'll do it. Granite countertops instead of quartz? Done. Buyers can choose from a range of options to make their home their own.

When you enter a Riviera Walk home, you immediately feel the difference: urban contemporary architecture infused with Pacific Northwest elements.

Coeur d'Alene is definitely ready for a fresh, new look, said Dennis Cunningham, president of ActiveWest Builders. It hearkens back to the '70s, Sharon said. "It's refreshing to see the contemporary look. It's totally different for Coeur d'Alene."

Outside, edgy pitches and angles catch the eye. Inside, high ceilings that aren't vaulted, but squared. A host of modern touches, mixed with a few traditional ones of wood and stone.

"There's that balance," Dennis said. "It feels more urban contemporary, but still keeping the flavors of the Northwest."

The architectural design begins at the front, with the door that you choose. Homes are two bedroom and two bath, with a flex room that you can utilize however you please, whether it's as an extended entryway, sitting area, or office. Add doors or leave it open: the choice is yours.

ActiveWest Builders has brought back the pocket door in Riviera Walk. "They make such great sense," Sharon said. They work especially well in the universal design that ActiveWest is known for.

There's a sense of space when you walk through the home, with 13' ceilings, open floor plans, and all of that light. "We're really big on windows," Sharon said. "We don't scrimp on windows in our homes."

ActiveWest utilizes universal design standards in their homes with features such as wide doorways hallways, no lip showers, and adaptable kitchens and showers. Homes feature high-end closet systems and interior finishes. The master bath has dual sinks with full tile backsplashes. The glass shower doors and stone floors lend an elegant feel to the bathroom.

Kitchen countertops are quartz, which is more durable and less porous than granite. They're also more sustainable. But if your personal taste leans towards granite countertops, they'll install them for you. The Bosch appliance package is an upgrade from what you'll normally find in new homes.

The space flows from the master bath into the utility room, which has lots of storage space. "People still want storage," Sharon said. The two-car garages are oversized, with frosted glass and galvanized metal doors that echo the contemporary feel of the home.

ActiveWest homes are virtually free of indoor air pollution due to the use of low- or no-VOC paints and stains, and low VOC millwork. Homes have radiant floor heat throughout, which doesn't force contaminants back into the air the way conventional forced-air systems can. Their use of recycled, low-emission, locally sourced materials; low-flow faucets, toilets and showerheads; radon mitigation; and recycled blown-in cellulose insulation speak to their commitment to green building.

The development is completely fenced and gated. Homes facing the river will each have its own private key code gate onto the Centennial Trail. Residents can also access the Trail and Riverstone Park via two points within the community.

ActiveWest Builders broke ground on the model home four months ago. Thirty percent of the 23 lots are already spoken for, even though the model home wasn't open until today. So, there's been a great deal of interest in this new neighborhood.

Prices start in the $400,000s, varying with the lot and options that you choose. Low-maintenance is key in an ActiveWest community; HOA fees are $75/month, which covers snow removal from driveways, sidewalks and roads, and maintenance of all front yard landscaping.

There's a lot going on in Riverstone, with farmers markets, concerts, and craft fairs. Not to mention the myriad of businesses. Residents can shop, eat, drink, and recreate just steps from their homes.

"It creates its own energy," Dennis said.

ActiveWest Builders motto is "Preserving the Past and Planning For the Future." They believe in this motto, as well as the tradition of passing on of construction practices that will one day be building standards throughout the country.

"It's all about lifestyle, location and livability," Sharon said.

Stop by Riviera Walk between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. today for a tour of the model home, and to learn more about this new housing option in Riverstone. For more information about becoming a part of this beautiful active lifestyle community, call Sharon Cunningham at (208) 755-1648.

If there's a neighborhood that you'd like to see featured in this series, please contact Beth Hanggeli at (208) 659-8367 or bhanggeli@cdapress.com.