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Neenah resident Linda Voight says she's married to a good listener.
"I've been saying for years that I'd love to live on the water," she says.
Husband Tom heard, all right. Voight's wish will be granted next summer, when they move into their one-bedroom condo at the yet-to-be constructed RiverHeath development.
Construction on the $55 million community on the banks of the Fox River is set to start this fall. On 15 acres of waterfront under the College Avenue bridge and adjacent to Telulah Park on the river's southeast shore, near the site of the former Consolidated Papers mill and MI Drilling, RiverHeath will integrate upscale residential and retail with green space, proactive environmental measures, proximity to outdoor recreation and convenience.
But those talking points don't begin to do justice to the aesthetics of the whole place.
"The river is quiet, it is peaceful; you have pelicans and birds singing and the views are stunning," says Kristine Oates, community director for RiverHeath. "There are no buildings to look at."
One of the best things, she says: the silence. Once you get below the level of College Avenue, it's extremely quiet. The sounds of the cars downtown disappear.
If the finished product turns out to be anything like the plans, RiverHeath sounds an awful lot like the ideal world- It touts the best things about homeownership - open space, ability to have a garden, pride in owning, resale/investment, personalizing your own space - and merges them with the best things about city living - nearness to downtown, ability to walk most places, and access to restaurants, entertainment, coffee shops and businesses.
RiverHeath will even have an all-weather elevator from its grounds to the College Avenue bridge.
The project also takes a few cues from the perfect summer vacation: waterfront views, nearness to recreational trails, kayaking out your front door, wildlife. And no lawn work.
Many people don't mind lawn work - which is one reason why many choose to keep their homes long after it becomes practical. RiverHeath addresses those green thumbs who might be hesitant to come on board a condo project. RiverHeath will have plenty of green space, including green rooftops and a community garden where residents can grow vegetables and flowers, Oates says....