July 31, 2008 Issue
Business Spotlight
Eaglewood Development Corporation—Bringing Family Back Home To The Outdoors, Changing The Way We Live
Story by Sam Calhoun
Jay Adams spends his life outdoors. As owner of Eaglewood Landscapes, Adams has crafted lush landscaped areas for the past 21 years in the High Country and across North Carolina.
Through his intimate relationship with the outdoors, Adams has realized the importance of spending time outside with friends and family and the benefit of making your house a home—crafting your house and surrounds so you never want to leave.
From this understanding, Eaglewood Development Corporation was born three years ago in the High Country.
“The idea [for Eaglewood Development Corporation] extends from my landscaping work. What sets our [landscaping] company apart is that we create living environments for people’s homes—we make people want to come home,” explained Adams. “And I began to notice the lack of living environments in subdivisions in the High Country—areas for physical exercise, places where people can fish and swim on their own property.”
Welcome to Shikina Falls—Adams’ answer to that lack.
Shikina Falls—Shikina is a Hebrew word from the Old Testament that means “glory of God”—is a new housing development located off Camp Joy Road in Zionville. The property is 32 acres and features 10 home sites priced between $215,000 and $265,000. Twelve acres of the property are reserved for recreation, and Adams and his crew have been hard at work since March 2007 crafting the land into a functional, fun and homey space that is unique among developments in the region.
“This whole place is made for people who want to enjoy their families,” said Adams. “Ignored by most of us are the daily activities we can all enjoy together in the outdoors, and this is what [Shikina Falls] is all about.”
Having built a couple of developments in Ashe and Alleghany counties in 2005 and 2006, Adams knew exactly what he wanted when he started creating Shikina Falls. The development is located in a self-contained valley in Zionville, and every home site is private and features views of the entire ridgeline of Rich Mountain and Tater Hill. In the center of it all, on the 12 acres reserved for green space, Adams has preserved flat lands for recreation, marked off an athletic field for soccer and football, built a picnic shelter with a fireplace, constructed two miles of year-round hiking trails and carved out a waterfall and a swimming hole.
The property features places to fish, bike, swim and plant a garden, and there’s even a slope reserved for sledding and tubing in the winter. The common green space features room for up to 200 vehicles in case residents want to host a large gathering, a church function or a small music festival.
“Basically, you can do whatever you want to do out here and you never have to leave home—that’s the idea,” said Adams. “This is where life occurs, not in front of a television.”
Adams is planning to build a large shed near the recreation area and stock it with volleyball nets, baseballs, soccer balls, croquet sets, fishing rods, bikes, sleds, tubes, soccer goals and other sports equipment for residents to use.
Roads, driveways and underground utilities are all installed, but no homes are built yet. Adams is soon to be the proud owner of one of those homes, as he said he wants to spend his life in a development like Shikina Falls.
“A lot of cost for the customer is already taken care of,” said Adams.
Shikina Falls has restrictive covenants. All homes in the development must have a minimum of 1,800 square feet on the first floor, and all homes must have a second floor as well as a garage.
And, of course, Adams is offering landscaping services to all residents, no matter how big or small the project.
Adams said that the environmental impact on the 32 acres is minimal. In addition to saving old-growth trees, Adams is conducting wetland enhancement and streambank restoration on the property.
“We try to get everything right and we bring a lot of knowledge to the table,” said Adams. “We’re not just about the pretty here; we’re also about the proper infrastructure.”
Adams believes Shikina Falls is the answer to escaping the area’s increasing traffic congestion. If there’s no reason to leave home because the recreational activities are just outside the front door, people can cut back on their driving.
Adams hopes to provide the ultimate sanctuary for those who move to the mountains to escape the city.
“I know what it’s like to live in Boone with no money, believe me. So I found that you have to find a niche here. Boone is a place where if you find a niche then you will be rewarded for it,” explained Adams. “And now, the dream of a frustrated landscaper is now a reality.”
The office for Eaglewood Development Corporation is located at 5033 Junaluska Road in Boone. Shikina Falls is located off Camp Joy Road in Zionville. For more information, call 828-719-8187.
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