Collins Construction continues progress
By Aimee Robinette
The Bolivar Bullet
Cleveland and surrounding areas continue to grow as people are looking to build their dream home. The real estate boom is so great that Roy Collins and his son, Chris, have created subdivisions to handle the load.
Hunter Cove at Chatmoss is the second addition to the Chatmoss subdivision, and is one that offers amenities such as additional security through an entry gate.
“The subdivision contains 18 approximately ½ acre lots,” said Chris Collins, managing member of Chatmoss and Mockingtrail Square. “It has concrete streets, underground power, underground cable, natural gas, water, sewer and storm drainage. Eight of the 18 lots have been sold to date.”
Collins said this subdivision appeals to many people that want a gated street for security as well as low traffic.
“There are restrictive covenants in place and there is also an Homeowners Association,” he added. “The generous lot sizes are great for those people who like larger yards. The subdivision has been very successful and the real estate comps on the houses that were built in the first phase continue to rise. It is a great subdivision to build your dream home.”
He also said they plan to a third phase in the future.
In addition to Hunter Cove at Chatmoss, Collins said they are also working on Cleveland’s first planned unit development Mockingtrail Trail.
“It is situated north of Indywood and bounded by Delta State University Athletic Fields on the east and is near the Cleveland Country Club golf course on its northwestern section. There are 50 lots in Mockingtrail Square and 26 are under contract with another five lots pending,” said Collins, who is the sole owner of this property. “The subdivision layout can be seen at www.mockingtrailsquare.com.”
There are several reasons to build subdivisions.
“Cleveland’s housing stock is nice, but it is aging. I wanted to do something new that has not been done in the Delta. I began looking on line at different subdivisions that have been done in other areas and made note of things that I thought were nice,” Collins explained. “I located a great land planner and architecture firm located in Baton Rouge that had done some really nice subdivisions with beautiful homes and engaged them to help me with land planning, layout and also with home concepts.
“I also worked with Eley-McPherson to design all the site utilities,” he explained. “The plans we developed for the subdivision are appealing to families wanting to downsize but still keep all their nice amenities and also to buyers wanting to move from their starter home to something new that does not require a lot of maintenance. We are doing some special things in the subdivision such as having areas of the streets paved with Pavestone pavers and creating two green space areas for people to sit and visit and allow kids/grandchildren to play.”
While creating new living spaces seems exciting, it is hard work, especially when done correctly.
“There are many hurdles to jump to develop subdivisions. As long as you surround yourself with knowledgeable professionals it makes the process go smoothly,” said Collins. “You need to know about zoning, you need to work with the municipality to know what they require, you need good engineers to design the infrastructure, you need a good banker that knows the market, you need good real estate professionals to work with and you need financially sound contractors to work with to put in the utilities and roads.”
Regardless, Collins appreciates the challenge and enjoys working with talented people.
“I really enjoy the creative side of subdivision development. I get a lot of satisfaction from that. What you put there will far outlive you and maybe one day my nephew or niece’s children will say, ‘My Uncle helped develop that area.’ Cleveland is a special community that I love,” said Collins. “I think Chatmoss and Mockingtrail will be beautiful subdivisions for years to come where people can raise their families and grow into their golden years.”