Desert Wind begins latest residential infill project

Desert Wind Homes plans to begin construction of about 55 single-family homes at its Brighton subdivision at the corners of Moana Lane and Plumas Street this summer.

Desert Wind closed purchase on the 8.01-acre site at the beginning of the year, co-owner Allyson Rameker says. Signs went up in mid March announcing the development, and Rameker says her office already has seen strong demand from potential buyers.

“We have had a lot of interest,” she says. “We already have an interest list and people are asking when they can go into contract.”

Desert Wind is working with KTGY of San Francisco to define the architectural designs of the subdivision. Pezonella Associates is doing the geotechnical work, and Colovich Engineering and Design of Reno is handling the structural engineering.

Desert Wind plans three models at Brighton. The two single-story home plans range in size from 1,400 to 1,800 square feet, and the two-story model is 2,200 square feet with a flexible design. It has an interior courtyard on the first level that can be turned into a nursery, formal dining room or office to boost the plan’s square footage.

Desert Wind erected 87 homes in 2013 in both halves of the state, but most of those were in northern Nevada, Rameker says. The past few years the company delivered 88 homes at Sonoma at the Vineyards between Vista and Sparks Boulevard just north of Disc, and it’s developing its Villagio subdivision at the top of Ridgeview Drive in southwest Reno.

The plan at Brighton is to build a block of speculative homes to stay ahead of potential buyers, particularly those who have sold their homes and need to relocate in a month’s time, Rameker says — but that plan didn’t work out at the popular Sonoma at Vineyards subdivision, where home sites sold out well in advance of buildout.

“They went so quickly that we were barely out of permit when they sold,” Rameker says.

Desert Wind homes is headquartered in Midtown Reno. The company strives to identify residential infill projects.

“It’s what we love,” Rameker says.