What started five years ago at Cornerstone Homes with an idea, plenty of research, inspiration and good old-fashioned hard work, reached back around full circle to meet the highest aspiration. Last week, the local homebuilder was awarded Community of the Year at the Home Builders Association of Virginia’s 2020 Housing Excellence Awards for its unique 55+ agri-community, Chickahominy Falls.
Cornerstone Homes founder and owner, Roger Glover, knows success doesn’t grow overnight. Through a thoughtful, 55+ persona driven approach, Glover has taken his 25 years of experience to perfect the lifestyle first formula that is getting the attention from both a local and national scale. From following the broad reaching national active adult trends to conducting market surveys for a finer, more local focus, Glover has found that the secret is going beyond typical home and community design. It happens when that focus shifts to creating unique and rewarding lifestyle experiences.
“The heart and soul of Chickahominy Falls lives in the experiences we have tried to create here,” said Glover. “Of course it happens in the homes, but it also exists in the fields of Woodside Farms, at community gatherings in The Barn and at our Farm Stands where that original imagination and vision for Chickahominy Falls comes to life and will be extended and enhanced further as we complete our 5 star clubhouse, exercise facilities, resort style pool, wildflower meadows, and walking trails through those meadows and along the river.”
The unique spirit of Chickahominy Falls’ lifestyle forward design has attracted local support from the very beginning. Working hand-in-hand in collaboration with the Hanover County Planning Commission, the Board of Supervisors and one on one meetings with local residents back in 2015, two years later, a unanimous County project approval set the development of this one-of-a-kind agri-community into motion.
“This development is truly unique, a blend of healthy living combined with fabulous site amenities creates a one of a kind experience that all of us appreciate and are most proud of,” said Susan Dibble, South Anna District Supervisor. “Chickahominy Falls clearly reflects Hanover County’s vision to create a premier community for people and businesses to achieve their full potential and I am proud to work with Roger Glover and Cornerstone Homes to continue to grow this magnificent environment.”
The current Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission recently provided additional approvals that allow Woodside Farms, the 10-acre heart and soul of Chickahominy Falls, for hosting special, small to medium sized events. Every Saturday, The Farm Stand will continue to welcome other small local businesses and county residents to reap the benefits by heaps and mounds or by the share. Now the Red Barn, at Woodside Farms, can also serve as a hub for the health and wellness gatherings for residents of Chickahominy Falls and as a public special events venue for the greater Richmond community.
“Cornerstone Homes takes amenity considerations to a new level with lifestyle innovations such as the agri-hood development,” said Danna Markland, Chief Executive Officer of Home Building Association of Richmond. “This simple concept has an abundance of benefits, from health and nutrition to bringing the community together, which sets them apart.”
Besides the working farm, The Barn and the community health and wellness events, Chickahominy Falls continues to add to its list of lifestyle-forward amenities. The highly anticipated Farmhouse, the five-star community clubhouse will begin construction in early 2021, totaling over 16,400 square feet of thoughtful indoor and outdoor recreation. Inside “The Farmhouse”, residents will enjoy a large club room, entertaining kitchen, billiards and meeting rooms, a fitness center with cardio and weight equipment and a classroom and yoga studio. Outdoors, an extensive network of outdoor patios and terraces overlook the pond and pool and will include a firepit and grill station.
Continued development of a scenic overlook will eventually become a new focal point at the pond, and more walking trails, wildflower meadows, pocket parks and bark parks are underway. The Crescent Group, Cornerstone Homes’ sister company and developer of Chickahominy Falls, is also in the early planning stages for a fishing pier at the pond and a multi-court facility including pickle ball, complete with an outdoor pavilion with a fireplace.
“We still have so much to look forward to at Chickahominy Falls,” said Glover. “We recently introduced our new and innovative Tapestry Collection of homes that focus on providing special in-home living experiences, not just floor plans and room dimensions. Every day, we continue to welcome new folks to the community and we’re always building up our repertoire of amenities that complete our vision.”
Over 180 residents now call Chickahominy Falls home and will continue to welcome over 220 more over the coming years. As support for this experiential destination continues, so too does the attention to detail to fulfilling the original vision for Chickahominy Falls. It is in this collaboration, belief and nurturing that goodness grows and Chickahominy Falls will continue to thrive.
Located in Hanover County, VA, about 20 minutes from downtown Richmond, Chickahominy Falls is situated on 180 acres abutting Cedar Lane, Holly Hill Road, and the Chickahominy River. It is the first and only “Agri-Community” in the Greater Richmond area blending age-qualified residences, amenities, orchards and a working farm. Over 73 of the community’s 180 acres will be dedicated to common space for all to enjoy with an elaborate network of walking trails winding throughout the community connecting nature and neighbors, pocket gardens , open natural spaces with wild flower meadows and groves of mature trees, a large stocked neighborhood pond and the Chickahominy River. Anchoring the recreation, health and wellness amenities will be “The Farmhouse,” a clubhouse, fitness and wellness center, and resort style pool with scenic views overlooking the pond, and outdoor recreation and relaxing pavilions. Chickahominy Falls has been recognized as the 2020 Community of The Year by the Home Builders Association of Virginia, voted in the top 100 planned communities by Ideal Living Magazine and as the “crown jewel” of Hanover County by the Richmond Tourism Bureau.
For more information about Chickahominy Falls, and to register for early information about future home releases, visit ChickahominyFalls.com