Where the homes are - 9/10/2004                        Read entire article from the Daily Journal Daily Journal By Gary Perilloux ...New direction One recent boon to middle- and upper-range housing within the city is The Villages. Under development by West Point-based Premier Builders, The Villages includes plans for 389 home sites on 89 acres off Coley Road, a quarter-mile north of West Main Street. Construction has begun on a 4,000-square-foot clubhouse that will adjoin an Olympic-sized swimming pool and one of three lakes. Jogging and hiking trails are planned throughout the community. The first of seven "villages" within the development has begun in Camelia Place, a 44-lot gated community for residents 55 and older. Though marketed for just six weeks, Camelia Place already has drawn buyers from as far away as Florida. Future villages will include Madison Square, a 67-lot area of traditional 1,500- to 2,400-square-foot houses, and Georgetown, a 31-lot community of mostly two-story New Orleans style homes with rear-entry garages. Condominiums and townhouses are planned for future phases, with each village's electronic gate requiring codes for access off common-area roads. A retail area is planned near the Coley Road entrance. Premier Builders studied similar developments in California, Tennessee and Florida before judging that Tupelo was ready for the concept, which will include homes from $115,000 to $250,000. "We would like to see it completed in three to four years," said Rita Doughty, marketing manager for The Villages. "We had so much interest in a neighborhood that included a clubhouse, with fitness, swimming, lakes and that sort of thing. "It's not just building a home, but a lifestyle. Being inside the city and being in west Tupelo, we think the location is perfect. When you drive into The Villages, it's like you're in a different world, and yet you're still inside Tupelo." Read entire article from the Daily Journal