Growing up in rural Kansas, Brian Wallace spent much of his time outdoors, exploring the woods and fields near his home.
It was the sort of active, nature-filled childhood that sparks creativity, and something he now dreams of for his own two small boys.
That dream will soon become a reality. Brian and his wife Liz are currently in the process of building a home at Walsh. Part of what attracted the couple to their new property is the development’s ample open space. When they look at the parks, trails and open space embedded around their new community, they see the perfect wide open playground for their boys, Ben (3) and Sam (1).
“I’m really excited about them having the opportunity to learn and explore in a way that maybe they wouldn’t otherwise have,” Brian says. “That means working with their hands in a shop, walking around the nature trails, and having an opportunity to really engage their minds on something other than TV and video games. Even with our toddler, you can see an energy in him when he has a lot of room to explore. So I think that was a big selling point for me, just the size of the development and the opportunity for them to learn and grow through not being constrained by space.”
Liz points to the Makerspace, with its brightly colored Lego wall, screen-printing station and 3D printer, as another example of the sort of hands-on experiences she looks forward to Ben and Sam sharing once they move into their new home later this year.
Looking a few years down the road, she is also excited for her boys to attend school at Walsh Elementary.
Quality schools. The Makerspace. Acres of open space to explore. Brian says all of these elements he is so excited about for his boys are the product of a creative, innovatively designed community.
“A lot of the natural topography has been kept in tact,” Brian explains. “I think that is a detail that was a creative investment on their part.”
As much as they are looking forward to spending time outdoors with their boys, Brian and Liz are also aware that in the 21st-century, internet access and technology are essential to education and daily life. Having state of the art technology incorporated into their home design from the start is another big benefit of building at Walsh.
“Every single house is wired for two-gigabit internet, which is really cool,” Liz says. “We actually had a meeting last week with Frog, Walsh’s technology partner, and it was amazing to have that meeting before they wire it, to have the chance to talk about what we want, if we want built-in speakers and where we want security cameras.”
Having lived in an older home for the last eight years, the Wallace’s know first-hand how difficult it can be to update technology in an existing neighborhood.
“In the neighborhood where we live now, which is 100 years old, we don’t have access to some internet services. To update the technological infrastructure there would have involved digging up streets and tearing out existing drywall. So it’s just great to have the opportunity to custom design everything up front. Walsh had the foresight to focus on making sure there’s broadband capacity for the neighborhood. Watching them translate their innovative vision onto the blank canvas of the raw land has been really cool to see.”
As they build their dream home and prepare to move in later this year, Brian and Liz are excited for the many ways their new community will enhance Ben and Sam’s childhoods and education. They’re also excited to live in a neighborhood filled with like-minded families, people with similar values who will volunteer their time to make Walsh Elementary a great place for Ben and Sam to attend school.
Like so many young parents, Brian and Liz see raising their boys in a supportive, inspiring, nurturing environment as their priority. They know creating that environment takes intention, and they’re thrilled to have found a place where creativity and innovation are built-in from the ground up, and the infrastructure for a happy, creative childhood is embedded in the community’s design from the start.
They’re thrilled to have found a place where creativity and innovation are built… and the infrastructure for a happy, creative childhood is embedded in the community’s design from the start.
