Community Yard Sale Registration

Click on the image to enlarge.

Severe Weather Threat Today

Richard Jacks, one of our Ross Bridge residents is a meteorologist with NBC 13 here in Birmingham. Below is a memo he sent this morning regarding the severe weather threat for the surrounding area.

Severe storms are now moving into western Alabama. A tornado warning is effect for Pickens county until 9:30, no damage reported with this storm so far. Tree damage has been reported in Fayette County from a different storms. The storms are moving eastward toward the Birmingham metro area. Severe weather is possible through today and tonight. Damaging winds, large hail, and isolated tornadoes are possible. This will be very slow moving.

A very strong upper level low will cross over Alabama tomorrow night. This will bring the threat of some snow. There could be light accumulations Sunday morning-temperatures will recover to near 40 by Sunday afternoon-so any travel problems that develop should not last very long.

For more updates follow Richard on Twitter - RJacks@NBC13HD.

The Sweet Stop Official Grand Opening

Click on the image to enlarge.

Ross Bridge Community in Hoover, Alabama Gets Its First Commercial Tenant

As published by The Birmingham News on February 25, 2009 by News staff writer Liz Ellaby:

Richelle and D. J. Davis say their decision to move south from Michigan to start their own businesses was a wise one.

The Trussville couple's new ice cream parlor and pastry shop, The Sweet Stop, is the first retailer open at Hoover's Ross Bridge mixed-use community, and traffic has been steady among moms and the after-school and weekend lunch and coffee crowd, they say.

The Davises are partners with D.J.'s sister, Staci Davis, and her husband, Nick Sims, who live in the Ross Bridge Village Center neighborhood.

"We'd always wanted to try and do a restaurant on our own," Richelle Davis said. "We had this idea and didn't feel it would be a successful venture in Michigan."

The couple moved from Michigan two years ago and opened their first business, Gatherings Cafe, in Trussville, 10 months ago.

The Sweet Stop provides a social connection for the Ross Bridge community, which now has more than 600 households. It also provides Blue Bell ice cream, banana splits, milkshakes, coffee, scones and muffins, candy, lunch items and box lunches to go. Salads, prepared by D. J. at Gatherings, are catered to the Ross Bridge business.

A grand opening is scheduled for Saturday.

"It's going very well," Richelle said. "We've been impressed. The kids in the area drive the business to us."

The shop is part of the Village Flats, a convenience center on Grand Avenue that includes 10 retail spaces in two buildings, each topped by a residential loft. Other businesses in line to open are the Ross Bridge Nail Spa, the Ross Bridge Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, and Drake Fitness, a gym and personal training service that will take several spaces.

All but two spaces are leased.

"From what I've heard, residents want somewhere else to go and something to eat beside going to the resort," said Miller Terry, an agent for The Shopping Center Group, which is handling the commercial leasing. Owner Signature Homes is handling loft sales.

"As soon as the building started going up, we got a lot of responses."

Ross Bridge, a joint venture of Daniel Corp. and U.S. Steel Corp., is a resort community off Alabama 150 surrounding the $70 million Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, which opened in 2005. As of last week, there were 616 occupied residences, about a third of the 1,800 planned, with 950 units expected to be filled by mid-summer.

The commercial segments of the subdivision, which also include an undeveloped 15 acres owned by another developer, were to be built according to demand.

Demand apparently grew along with construction delays at Village Flats. The development, scheduled to open last summer, was completed in late December.

"You can see how the neighborhood has been waiting for this by the amount of activity," said Jonathan Belcher, president of Signature Homes and a Ross Bridge resident. "People are coming here all the time. It's right by our offices, and we're always sneaking over to grab a milkshake."

The shop is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.

Click here to read the article on al.com.

Fat Tuesday

Happy Mardi Gras from James Hill!

Did you know that the first recorded celebration of Mardi Gras in what is now the United States occurred in 1699? Well, now you do!

What would you do with $8000?

Please contact the James Hill agents who can e-mail you more info to help "clear up" any confusion you may have about the new tax credit!

Also, re-read last week's post about how the stimulus plan could affect your new home purchase!

To learn more, visit FederalHousingTaxCredit.com.

The Nail Spa

Residents and future residents of Ross Bridge are excited about how the retail space in the Village Center is shaping up.

Today is the grand opening of the Nail Spa at Ross Bridge, our second retail shop!

We are excited to welcome this new shop, and can't wait to experience our first manicure and pedicure treat!

Love is in the Air at James Hill!

Valentine's Day in James Hill was extra-special for soon-to-be residents Jason Fill and Emily McManus!

Just after lunch on Valentine's Day, Emily had planned a couple's massage for her and Jason at the Ross Bridge Spa. After their royal treatment at the spa, they headed over to James Hill to take some pictures of the appliances in their almost finished home.

Emily noticed a few lights on in the home when they pulled up, but just assumed they had been left on after their orientation walk-through the day before. When Jason and Emily walked into the front door of their future home together, Emily noticed a dozen red roses, a bucket of champagne, and two champagne flutes on the kitchen counter. Jason turned to her and wished her a Happy Valentine's Day, and on the way to the kitchen, they stopped in the middle of the living room and embraced each other, talking about how much they love each other. Emily wanted to see the roses, but Jason wanted to savor the moment, so they stood there just a little longer.

Finally making their way to the kitchen, Jason held Emily, kissed her and told her again how much he loves her. As he dropped to one knee (or as Emily sees it, knelt down in slow motion :-)), she asked if he was serious, and when he said yes, she immediately grabbed him around the neck and knelt down on the floor with him before he could even ask. Together in their new kitchen, Jason asked Emily if she would marry him, and Emily replied "YES!" as tears of joy ran down her face!

Below is an excerpt from Emily about the proposal:

"Being that we had been together all day, I wondered how/who put the beautiful flowers and champagne in the house. Chrissy, the Customer Care coordinator with Signature had been working with Jason as to how to get everything in line for the proposal. Allen, one of the builders, had purchased the flowers, and Tarayn and Whitney from the James Hill Sales Center were so sweet to bring in the champagne and glasses and set everything up. What a wonderful day in a wonderful place! We LOVE James Hill!"
Congratulations, Jason and Emily! We are glad that we could be a part of your special day!

Jason and Emily close on their new home this Friday and plan to get married sometime this year!

Tax Credit for First Time Purchasers

Whether you support President Obama's economic stimulus plan or not, if you are a first time homebuyer, there may be something in it for you!

Here are a few bullet points summarizing the new legislation:

• The tax credit is for first-time homebuyers only.
• This is a true credit, and does not have to be repaid to the government.
• The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home's purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000.
• The credit is available for homes purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.
• Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.

If you think you may qualify, click here to see frequently asked questions and answers about the homebuyer tax credit.

You may also find useful info on this link about other provisions in the stimulus plan that relate to the housing market.

Need a Sitter for Your Pet?

Are you looking for someone to take care of your pet while you leave for a vacation, work trip, or long day trip?

With Spring Break right around the corner, we wanted to inform our residents of a pet-sitting service being offered to Ross Bridge residents by one of our Village Center home owners, Rebel Gregory.

She can be contacted at (859) 750-0789 or at rebel1031@bellsouth.net.

2009 Event Calendar

The Ross Bridge community has successfully re-created the traditional American home town.

In addition to regular activities planned by the residents and parties planned by the builders and marketing teams in each community, developer Daniel Homes sponsors several big community events every year!

Click here to see photos of a few of our past events.

And click here to view our 2009 calendar of events.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the next neighborhood event!

The Sweet Stop Ribbon Cutting

Please make plans to attend!

What: The Sweet Stop Ribbon Cutting with the Hoover Chamber of Commerce.

When: Wednesday, February 18th
11:00am - noon

Where: The Sweet Stop
2301 Grand Avenue, #109
Hoover, AL 35226

Want more info?
Call (205) 290-9295
or
E-mail thesweetstop.rossbridge@gmail.com

I ♥ James Hill

This is why you should ♥ James Hill, too!

♥ Ross Bridge is a community matched by none other in Alabama—friendly home town atmosphere, walking and biking trails, active parks and pools,
budding retail space in the Village Center.

♥ James Hill boasts of diverse home styles that take you back to the days of visiting with your neighbors on your front porch swing, sipping sweet tea.

♥ Affordable homes with a custom feel priced from the 230’s to the 320’s.

♥ James Hill is offering the following incentives if you purchase a home under construction between now and March 15, 2009, close before April 15, 2009, and meet credit approval through Signature Home Mortgage.

• 4.5% interest rate (4.875 APR, or equivalent to .25% rate buydown)
• No closing costs or prepaids
• Up to $1500 toward moving expenses

♥ Please contact the James Hill agents for details.

♥ Whitney Hardy (205) 585-2001

♥ Tarayn Comer (205) 966-2162

Canvas Creations

Mark your calendars for March 3rd and/or March 5th at 6:30pm.

Artist Kenneth French will be at the Ross Bridge Town Hall to teach YOU how to paint a unique piece of artwork. The cost of this event is just $25 and you leave with your own painting to display!

Space is limited, so please RSVP by February 25th to Jill Seals at (205)443-4809.

James Hill Google Group

One of our James Hill residents, Ryan Simms, has created a Google Group for our residents. If you are a resident or soon-to-be-resident, please e-mail Ryan at ryanmsimms@gmail.com and he will invite you to join.

Cupcakes & Cocktails Photos

Signature Homes always looks for ways to make the holidays special! Last year, our Cupcakes & Cocktails event in the Village Center was so much fun, we decided to celebrate it again this year at James Hill!

We were blessed with a beautiful Sunday afternoon for our event! It's not often that we dance around 70 degrees in February... even in Alabama, and we couldn't have special-ordered a more perfect day.

The cupcakes were delicious! Most everyone was able to sample all three flavors - Strawberry, Chocolate and Buttercream. Which was your favorite?

The Sweet Stop

We are so excited to announce the opening of The Sweet Stop, Ross Bridge's first retail shop! Please stop by to support your community businesses and pick up a sandwich and ice cream (we highly recommend the chicken salad and a chocolate milk shake), or coffee and a baked yummy (the pecan bars are excellent), or just a colorful piece of candy!

If you are on Facebook, please join the Facebook group "The Sweet Stop at Ross Bridge Village Center." While you're there, join "James Hill at Ross Bridge" for the latest updates through Facebook.

Signature Homes Grew Market Share in '08

As posted by the Birmingham Business Journal on February 4, 2009 by staff writer Lauren B. Cooper:

Birmingham home builder Signature Homes said it saw growth last year, despite the down economy.

Signature said its market share grew by 78 percent in new homes sold between 2007 and 2008 in Birmingham, according to data compiled from the Birmingham Area Multiple Listing Service.

In Hoover, where the builder has developed several subdivisions, Signature said it had a 65 percent market share of new homes sold and sold 59 percent of all new homes priced between $180,000 and $400,000, said a news release.

Also in that price range, the company said it built in four of the top five residential new home communities last year – Ross Bridge Village Center, Edenton, Beaumont and Chapel Creek.

Annual Cupcakes & Cocktails at James Hill!

Since last year's Cupcakes & Cocktails event was such a success, we decided to do it again! Join us on February 8th from 2-4pm for Cupcakes & Cocktails at the James Hill Model home at 1592 James Hill Drive. This model home is now under contract, and we will be moving in just a few short weeks! If you haven't been out to see us yet, now is your chance!

Making dinner plans for Valentine's Day? Check out the link below!

http://www.birminghamrestaurants.com/menus.asp?action=form&recordID=341142

We are looking forward to seeing you Sunday afternoon!

Six More Weeks of Winter!

Punxsutawney Phil, the world's most famous groundhog emerged Monday, February 2, 2009 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob and proclaimed the following "official forecast."

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

On Gobbler's Knob this glorious Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2009

Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators

Awoke to the call of President Bill Cooper

And greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths

After casting a joyful eye towards thousands of his faithful followers,

Phil proclaimed that his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were World Champions one more time

And a bright sky above me

Showed a shadow beside me.

So 6 more weeks of Winter it will be.

Although the forecast is bleak for the country, the sun is shining brightly on James Hill! Two more families decided to call James Hill home this week end! These two families will be moving into the furnished model home on home site 101 and the Radford home on 102 by the end of February.

Super Bowl XLIII

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers on their win over the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL Super Bowl 2009! Although the Steelers dominated most of the game, the 4th quarter was certainly a nail-biter.
In the Birmingham/Hoover area, James Hill is considered to be the Pittsburgh Steelers of the real estate market! Although there are some nice places to live outside of Ross Bridge, James Hill ultimately brings home the Vince Lombardi trophy. :-)


Think we're kidding? Builder Magazine doesn't think so! Click here to see what this national magazine has to say about how James Hill is defying all odds.