The Appeal of Embraceable Locations - Tailored to Niches

ELEMENT AT CRAIG AVENUE, Cotswold

by Doug Smith, Charlotte Observer
04/2008

Combine eco-friendly green development with modern design and you get Element, a seven-home infill development planned on roughly .25-acre lots on Craig Avenue in Cotswold.

Liquid Design has created 2,300 to 3,000 SF contemporary single-family houses with 10-14 foot ceilings, flat roofs, expansive windows and soaring open spaces for developer Cobalt DBS/Painted Plum, Inc. 

Houses are priced from the upper $400,000's to the upper $500,000's.

Rusty Gibbs, who is handling sales with Chris Wargo at Cobalt Realty, describes what they're doing as "creating an enclave for like-minded individuals."

He said buyers "can go as green as they like or accept one of our standard green certifications."

Cotswold is one of city's hottest up-and-coming areas for infill residential development because of its proximity to uptown and southeast Charlotte shopping and services.

Element will be at the end of Craig Avenue on the east side of Sharon Amity Road, not far from Sharon Memorial Park.

Cobalt has sold one house and expects to start construction of the estimated $4 million project within 30 days with financing through SunTrust Banks, Inc., Gibbs said.

The developers want to create a fully sustainable neighborhood with a tree-save area, shared common space and a dog park.

Homes will have covered parking, outdoor living spaces, exterior cedar paneling and concrete pavers.

Optional features include synthetic grass, koi ponds, dog showers, solar hot water heaters and rain-water collection systems.

Gibbs said he's negotiating with a buyer on a second sale.