Construction is underway on the first phase of the estimated $35 million gated community project Bella Terra Gardens, says Roger Fruci, developer at Bella Terra Gardens LLC. 

Located near the southeast corner of 24th Avenue and Havana Street just outside of the Spokane city limits on the South Hill, Bella Terra Gardens will cover 15 acres of previously undeveloped land. Construction started in February on the first six of 87 townhomes, which are expected to be completed by December, says Fruci.

Foundations for more townhomes are going in now, and framing on three to five townhomes will be erected this winter, Fruci says.

The townhomes will range in living space from 2,600 to 3,800 square feet and come in one-, two-, and three-story units. Depending on townhome size, the homes will be priced from $480,000 to $618,000, he says.

Bella Terra Construction & Development LLC, an affiliate of Bella Terra Gardens LLC, is the contractor for the development, and Architects West, of Coeur d’Alene, designed it.

Fruci says Bella Terra Gardens will be sectioned off by three gardens the first of which will be the Central Garden, which Fruci says is halfway planted. It also will have more than an acre of landscaping and water features, including waterfalls, streams, and eight ponds.

A small, “contemplative grotto,” and enclosed space with benches people can enter via pathways, will be installed within the center of the garden, he says.

Of the 87 planed townhomes, 36 will surround the Central Garden, he says.

Fruci says the gardens will have thousands of trees, shrubs, and food-producing plants.

“It’ll look like normal landscaping, so it won’t look like a vegetable garden,” he says.

Fruci says Bella Terra aims to build townhomes that combine contemporary and classic styles, to make the homes trendy but still stylish decades from now.

The exteriors will have metal features with natural wood and other siding. 

The interior will include quartz countertops and wood window frames. Structurally, the townhomes will be designed with high-quality products, he says.

Common space within the development includes miles of private paths and roads for walking and jogging, says Fruci.