The lake is full, some lots are sold and development is just around the corner.
It’s an exciting time for Arbor Valley Lake planners as the dream of living “green” starts to take shape.
The lake, just 2 miles southwest of Osceola, was annexed into the city and now has all the “city amenities with outdoor-style living” as project manager Paula McClaflin calls it.
Development can begin at anytime, but project managers think the economy could cause home builders to put it off until spring.
“It’s ready to go, but a drop in the stock market and the current economic picture has scared some people, but it should turn around,” said Ryan Lundquist, another project manager.
Out of three phases, phase one – building roads and bringing water and sewer to Vinter’s Cove, the west side of the site – is complete. McClaflin said Vinter’s Cove has 41 lots and 10 lots are already sold. Phases two and three will also add more lots.
The entire complex boasts 650 acres of land with 106 acres of water, over 5 miles of shoreline and 20 acres of wetland. The main channel of the lake reaches 50 feet deep.
The lake will offer residents recreational activities just steps away from their doors.
McClaflin said the lake was “christened” by its first skiers this summer. The lake will also soon be stocked with fish.
In the future, McClaflin said she would like to see more recreational activities added, along with an access road to Wal-Mart and walking trails that will link the gated community to Osceola.
Making it "green"
The project was planned for environmentally friendly living from the beginning. When project creators J.B. Hamilton, Bud Jones and Alan Lundquist submitted plans to Iowa Department of Natural Resources, they needed to do something different to spark IDNR's interest.
“There’s a lot of things that we did that aren’t really part of the lake, but we did it for the environmental part of the project,” McClaflin said.
McClaflin said the planners were designing this lake in an environmentally friendly way before the “green” initiative became popular.
As the project continued, planners focused on how they could be disturbing the environment and how to fix it. To offset trees that that were destroyed, 15,000 trees were planted last year. McClaflin said they will later take a count to see which trees survived.
Rules and regulations will have to be followed by future residents when they build their homes. These rules were made to maintain the lake’s “integrity,” McClaflin said.
“A tremendous amount of time, effort, and details went into planning the lake and keeping the lake,” she said.
One rule requires all houses use a geo-thermal heating and cooling system.
The system, which pulls heat and energy from the ground, can be expensive to install, but will save homeowners in the long run.
“People have been surprised at how ridiculously low the bills are,” McClaflin said.
McClaflin said the homes are also required to be a certain size. This will prevent someone’s home blocking another person’s view.
Berms, which filter out silt, were recently installed to prevent chemicals from entering the water. The berms are positioned in between the lake and the houses and are up to six feet wide and two feet deep with a pea gravel and compost mixture filling up the hole.
The development won’t have any concrete roads or curbs or gutters. Instead, it will have a collection system.
“We’re trying to slow down the water so if it it has chemicals or silt in it, it doesn’t directly flow into the lake,” Lundquist said.
The runoff will be impounded by a rain garden or barrel.
IMPACT
The project has sparked the interest of many community members. Many are confused about where the lake is located and how it will impact the city.
According to McClaflin, the mutli-million dollar lake project will positively affect Osceola.
"It's a huge investment for local guys to make and that shows their faith in our community," she said.
“It will be the biggest economic impact since the boat for property taxes.”