34
KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL
December 2014 / January 2015
Residential Real Estate
Live, work, play enclave coming to Seven Oaks By Rebecca Hardin
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oots in the Central Valley and an aim to create places where “families can live, love and grow,” as Woodbridge Pacific Group cofounder Carl Neuss termed it, brought a new developer to Seven Oaks in 2013. That year, Woodbridge Pacific Group (WPG) purchased 175 acres from Bolthouse Properties. As Belcourt’s master developers, Neuss and partner Todd Cunningham are creating a live, work, play enclave unlike any other in Bakersfield. Neuss and Cunningham are working in tandem with Bolthouse, which continues to develop high-quality retail, employment and commercial destinations in Seven Oaks. “We share their commitment to value,” Cunningham said. “The Bolthouse vision for the new Seven Oaks complements Belcourt’s village plan, and all of us are eager to see a place where the car plays a secondary role to pedestrians, bicycles and strollers.” Belcourt is planned to include approximately 793 homes in distinctive neighborhoods of single-family lots tailored to families and active adults. It will also include the luxury apartment homes of Park Square by Fuller Apartment Homes. An 8-acre public park is planned to house a tot lot, tennis courts, turf amphitheater and a soccerfield-sized commons. A private community center for homeowners is also planned, featuring a swimming pool, splash park, spa, barbecue areas and additional amenities. A site reserved for a house of worship within Belcourt will be the home of Trinity Anglican, which plans to include a day care center. The Seven Oaks trail system will link Belcourt’s neighborhoods and amenities and will eventually connect with the Kern River Parkway. Landscaping will feature canopy trees, seating areas and public art. Meandering pathways will connect homes and amenities to a central paseo, which in turn will link pedestrians to Seven Oaks Business Park, Belcourt Village and other Seven Oaks destinations. Grand Island Village, acclaimed schools, and River Walk’s recreation and retail are also nearby. Belcourt’s progressive concepts reflect the preferences of Bakersfield residents who took part in surveys, focus groups and personal meetings WPG conducted before creating the plan. “The City (of Bakersfield), Bolthouse and WPG are all in favor of the best outcome, and that outcome is being directly shaped by feedback from local citizens,” Neuss said. WPG is a privately-held development company that brings architecturally distinc-
PHOTO COURTESY OF WOODBRIDGE PACIFIC GROUP
Belcourt’s lake-framed arrival will showcase birds in flight, which was designed by sculptor Douwe Blumberg and is one of several public art pieces planned for the new village.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WOODBRIDGE PACIFIC GROUP
A bell tower with clock and chimes will highlight visual cues that promote the distinctive sense of place that Belcourt will provide its residents.
tive homes to premier locations, and the Belcourt property clearly fit the definition. “We pursue lifestyle settings, so we were immediately interested in Seven Oaks, but it was the Bolthouse people and their reputation for quality and integrity that made the decision for us,” Cunningham said. WPG invited local companies as its guest builders. WPG anticipated it would announce the builders before the end of 2014. “These builders know and appreciate
Bakersfield, and share our desire to create something special,” Cunningham said. For Neuss and Cunningham, Belcourt is a homecoming. Neuss has family in the Central Valley and Cunningham was raised in Bakersfield. “Bakersfield is a place where business can still be done with a handshake,” Neuss said. “The belief that your word is your bond is a very comfortable standard for Todd and me, and for WPG’s younger generation.”
That generation includes Belcourt Senior Project Manager Jeff Eittreim, who is married to Cunningham’s daughter, Lauren. Neuss’ son Alex is assistant project manager, and his daughter, Carla, has brought her theater and arts background to the mix and is working with the Arts Council of Kern to ensure that public art will play a distinctive role in the community. “If you have not spent time in Bakersfield, you cannot appreciate how wonderful it is,” Eittreim said. “We are living here with our twin sons, working to bring Belcourt to reality and feeling very much at home; it’s tremendously exciting and rewarding.” Alex Neuss shares Eittreim’s view. “Bakersfield offers the feeling of a traditional small town, which is amazing in a place as large and diverse as this city really is,” Neuss said. “The friendliness and feeling of connection with people is wonderful.” WPG and local guest builders will build the first new-home neighborhoods at Belcourt. First construction is planned for spring 2015. A late summer 2015 opening is anticipated for the first model homes and for the Belcourt Information Gallery. For the latest on Belcourt, visit www.woodbridgepacific.com and find Belcourt under “Neighborhoods.” Rebecca Hardin is the owner of Open Line Public Relations.