Harmony with nature characterizes Rivercut

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Set on 450 acres of southwest Missouri countryside, the Rivercut Golf Com-munity development is moving closer to completion, according to operations manager Shelley Forell.|ret||ret||tab|

Forell said that 96 of the development's 146 lots, priced from $35,000 to $95,000, have been sold.|ret||ret||tab|

Located along the James River in southwest Greene County, 2.5 miles west of Campbell Road and adjacent to the Rivercut Municipal Golf Course, the privately developed community was de-signed, Forell said, "to preserve and feature the original beauty of the Ozarks." Rivercut Development Inc. hired land planner Bill Yung of Yung Design Group in Branson to design infrastructure around the area's landscape of rolling hills.|ret||ret||tab|

The overall Rivercut plan "was a collaborative effort," Forell added. Joining forces were Yung, the VT Real Estate Development Group, consulting engineer Richard Harshfield of Vandersluis Engineering of Springfield, and Rivercut Director of Development Jack Stinson. |ret||ret||tab|

The owner of the development and of the VT Real Estate Development Group is Cecil Van Tuyl, a developer famed as one of the biggest owners of auto dealerships in the United States. According to Forell, Van Tuyl owns "most of the Re-liable auto dealerships."|ret||ret||tab|

Forell said the Rivercut development plan includes convenants and restrictions stipulating both architectural and environmental controls. |ret||ret||tab|

"The plan is oriented toward teaching and encouraging home buyers to place structures around the natural harmonies that can be shared between man and nature," she said. |ret||ret||tab|

The covenants, for example, provide that only native species of trees can be planted, which would exclude such common ornamentals as Bradford pear.|ret||ret||tab|

Houses in the development may be built by builders chosen by the new lot owners or may be chosen from models offered by Rivercut Development Inc. |ret||ret||tab|

Forell said that as part of park development plans outlined in the Parks, Open Space and Greenways element of the Vision 20/20 Springfield-Greene County Comprehensive Plan, a park and greenway are proposed for the area. |ret||ret||tab|

The James River "Oxbow" Natural Resource Area Park and the Ward Branch Greenway would be adjacent to the Rivercut acreage. |ret||ret||tab|

According to Forell, if voters approve a quarter-cent sales tax referendum in November, the area may be included in the first five-year implementation phase of further greenway and park development.|ret||ret||tab|

In addition, Forell said, the Cox Road expansion project now under way in the county will make Cox Road the main access route to the Rivercut development and the public golf course. |ret||ret||tab|

Within the next two weeks Farm Road 130 will be temporarily closed to begin construction. The expansion is set for completion in May 2002.|ret||ret||tab|

Rivercut is marketed by Murney Associates, Realtors, of Springfield. [[In-content Ad]]