New England Style Coming to Stamford
as published by The Stamford Advocate, 03/04/2005

The Village at Maple Pointe, a new luxury townhome development, will break ground this month on Maple Tree Avenue in Stamford near the Darien border. After running one announcement in mid- February, 40 percent of the units had been reserved. At the end of last week, 65 percent had been reserved.

For many years, Peabody Engineering, the only industrial facility in the area, had occupied the site, although the land was always partly residential, said Randy Salvatore, managing member of Stamford-based RMS Construction.

Later, a company that made showerheads occupied the buildings, but after its departure, a zoning change made the land entirely residential to suit its surroundings. Set on 3 acres, 11 buildings will house 63 two- and three-bedroom condominiums. Homes will run from 1,500 to 2,500 square feet and will come in four different styles. The Courtyard has 2,500 square feet, the North Mews offers 1,850 square feet, the West Mews incorporates 1,700 square feet, and the South Mews is more compact at 1,500 square feet.

The overall look of the exterior is New England in style, with facades of stone and clapboard, dormers or bay windows on two or three levels and columned entrances with white railings. Balconies repeat the white railings, and old-style gas lamps provide entrance lighting. Belgian block curbs the roads and pathways will be fashioned of brick.

Interiors feature crown moldings, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances in the kitchens, hardwood floors on the main level and wall-to-wall carpeting elsewhere.

The Courtyard homes have a first-floor living room, dining room, powder room and a custom-crafted kitchen that opens to the backyard patio. Below is a basement with a finished family room, powder room, laundry and storage area.

The second-floor master suite has a marble bath, a room-sized walk-in closet and an upstairs balcony, and there's a guest bedroom with a hall bath. The third floor is a large loft.

Depending on the level of luxury desired, an optional bath on the third floor could run from about $5,000 to $10,000, Salvatore said.

The North Mews has only one bath for two bedrooms on the second floor, but there is a full bath on the loft level and a two-car garage.

The units in the West Mews have a marble master bath with two sinks and there's an additional bath on the second floor. The South Mews units have a vaulted ceiling in the master bedroom and one bath on the second floor. All units have a first-floor powder room.

Architects for the project were two Stamford firms, Do H. Chung & Partners and AWA Design, Salvatore said. Pre-construction prices run from $450,000 to $659,000 for a single standalone unit in The Courtyard. Only a few upgrades are possible -- hardwood floors on the second and third levels and higher-end appliances, according to Salvatore.

RMS also is putting the finishing touches on two smaller Stamford projects. At Grace Court on Rock Spring Road, three condos out of six remain available for $629,900. Set within three buildings, the 2,400-square-foot units have two bedrooms, each with its own bath, and a third bedroom or loft on the uppermost level.

The master bath is fashioned of marble with a whirlpool tub and there are two walk-in closets in the master bedroom.

The main level has a living room with a bay window, a dining area, an eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and a powder room.

On the lower level, a large family room may be accessed from the one-car garage. There's a patio behind each condo and along the road are stone walls topped with white picket fencing. Units are scheduled for occupancy in mid-May.

Sleepy Hollow is at Sixth and Summer streets near the Ridgeway Shopping Center. Of nine rental units, three are left at $2,000 to $2,300 monthly. Each unit of 1,200-square-feet has two bedrooms, 1.5 baths and a designer kitchen with granite countertops. Units should be available for occupancy March 15.

RMS Construction won a 2004 HOBI award from the Homebuilders of Connecticut Association for "Best Multi- Family Community" for The Phoenix on Isaac in Norwalk, where all 27 units were sold out in two months.

The preceding year, RMS received a HOBI for "Best Small Attached Community" for Vine Meadows, a townhome development in Stamford. In 2002, RMS received special recognition for a custom home in New Canaan of 12,000 square feet.