Walters Homes Development Breaks Ground, Aims for Silver LEED

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorBarnegat, N.J.–Walters Homes has broken ground on Whispering Hills, an eco-friendly residential community situated on 85 acres on Rose Hill Road, between Barnegat Avenue and Route 9, in Barnegat, N.J. The development will feature a total of 258 units, including 52 apartments affordable to people earning low to moderate incomes, 107 townhouses and 99 single-family homes. Move-ins into the apartments are expected to begin next summer.The three-bedroom townhouses range from 1,983 sq. ft. to 2,188 sq. ft and the one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments range from 900 sq. ft. to 1,250 sq. ft. Average  rents in the neighborhood range from $1000 for a one-bedroom to $1,600 for a three-bedroom, but will be significantly lower because it is affordable housing.Walters Homes has incorporated several environmentally friendly building practices and aims to achieve Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for the development. As a result, Whispering Hills will be more energy and water efficient than conventional non-green developments. Among other features, the townhouses will be equipped with Energy Star-certified products.“Among other things, we are planting indigenous tree species, using recyclable materials as well as low VOC paints and glues and have installed low-flow toilets, sinks and showers,” Edward Walters, Jr., president of Walters Group, tells MHN. “Around the development, there is a 30-acre forest. We think there are a lot of environmentally conscious buyers who will come to our project for all these reasons.” Walters Homes is also offering buyers a ‘lowest price’ guarantee on the base price of each new town home. Walters Homes will adjust its sales contract if the base price for one of its townhouses decreases from the time a customer signs an agreement to the day of closing.