The housing addition being developed where the former Madison Elementary School once stood along North Union Street has changed its name and added to the type of residences it offers.
Monday, the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Grove - formerly Gateway Grove - and its next phase.
Cary Groninger, co-developer of the housing addition, explained the rebranding of the development from Gateway Grove to The Grove.
“We just kind of wanted to make it a little more - some of the feedback we got from residences was that it seemed maybe a little too old-fashioned, as far as Gateway. So, The Grove is a little more trendy, a little more young-sounding, so we thought we would switch it up a little bit when we changed the name,” he said.
They decided there was a need for the rental market in the downtown area, so The Grove will offer another type of rental housing downtown Warsaw that still gives the “quaint little Grove feel, but allow them not to have to purchase a home if they can rent instead.”
The Grove offers single-family homes for sale, but now is developing 10 double-stacked townhomes for a total of 20 units. One unit is on the ground floor and the other is upstairs.
Groninger said each unit is about 900 square feet with two bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen and living room. There’s a stairway in the side entrance that goes upstairs to the other full unit.
“This unit we’re cutting the ribbon on today is a quality-built stacked townhome that Miller Brothers Construction did for us out of Goshen,” he said before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “So, there’s a unit on each level. So these houses over here will be for rent, there’ll be two units, obviously, in each building. So we’re excited to bring this new housing option to downtown Warsaw.”
He said one single-family home is complete, so that option is still available. “But we’re really looking to try and give more options here as rental and also purchase of single-family. So, we’re just excited to be able to move the ball forward and create something here that we can all be excited about.”
Whether you buy a home or rent a unit in The Grove, they come with all of the amenities - a full fenced dog park exclusive to Grove residences; membership to The Downtown Warsaw YMCA through the homeowners association fees; a fire pit with fire wood provided; multiple grassy common areas.
The city of Warsaw also has plans for a pocket park at the end of the YMCA building, which Groninger said should happen in the next couple weeks.
One of the stackable homes with both units is completed now, with another one almost complete. All of the units should be completed over the next couple years, he said, as they build and fill them.
Each unit is $1,700 a month, but “that includes all the HOA, so you would have your electric and gas and your internet, but all of the other - sewer, water - all of that is included in the rent.”
To rent a unit as they become available, or to purchase a single-family home, visit the website at gatewaygrove.com.
“We’re just trying to create that quality of life so many of us are trying to find,” Groninger stated.