WHERE'S THE NEXT HOT SPOT TO BUILD? A Few St. Louis Area Home Builders Weigh In “The next hot spot to build in our region is off Hwy. 370 in St. Charles. Discover 370 was formed 10 years ago to develop the areas off Hwy. 370—an east west bypass that connects to Hwy. 270. Since then, this area has experienced the explosive growth of more than six million square feet of new development.” “A large part of this continued growth is due to The New Town at St. Charles by Whittaker Homes. This traditional neighborhood development is a 12 to 15 year, $1.5 billion project that will eventually encompass 5,700 residential units in addition to four neighborhood centers and a proposed town center. To date, there are over 1,500 residents, neighborhood stores, restaurants, a church and several live/work units set to open Winter/Spring 2007. New Town has not only sparked growth within the development, but it has also sparked residential and commercial growth north of Hwy. 370.” Greg Whittaker, President, Whittaker Homes “It’s all about location, and a great location should provide easy access to every area in the St. Louis Region in terms of both employment and leisure. The heart of Heritage is a great place to build right now and is becoming more “central” as businesses and builders move west. The 94 and Heritage Crossing area provides easy access to the Page Extension allowing buyers to reach Westport Plaza in just minutes, and even downtown easily.  On the flip side, Heritage offers buyers a quick commute west and south also by providing easy access to 70, 40 & 270.” Mike Manlin, President, Manlin Homes “Infill, in premium areas in St. Charles and St. Louis County as well as Metro East, is where the residential market is moving. We are focused on building on premium land that is underutilized, that is close-in in more established areas. Right now we are building new residential communities in Kirkwood and Chesterfield. We are finding more demand for low maintenance homes with lots of amenities that are close to where people work, shop and go for entertainment.” Dennis Hayden, President, Hayden Homes “I think Jefferson County is the next hot spot to build. We have been building custom homes in Arnold and throughout this area for 21 years and it is really poised to take off. With St. Charles County becoming pretty full, many of the big builders have moved into Jefferson County. It is an area where people can still afford to build on small acreage tracks and subdivisions are starting to become hot too.” Bill Courtney, President, HomeSource Custom Builders “I believe Monroe County, especially Waterloo, Ill., is the next hot spot for us to build. There is an abundance of raw land along the main corridors and Waterloo offers low crime, good schools, pride of ownership and is 20 to 30 minutes to downtown St. Louis, and is an easy drive to South County via the JB Bridge. Overall it is a very nice location to raise a family.” Chris Jones, President, C.A. Jones Inc. of Columbia, Ill.

April 2007 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Cover Story: The Lou’s Got a New Urban Attitude ULI’s Young Leaders Group Richard Ward & Dick Shepard Grand Prix Speedways - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Art Partners The NEW North St. Louis The Black Rep Carl’s Drive-in - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -