Riverstone Master‐Planned Community Earns Coveted Gold Award at The Nationals℠

February 7, 2016

Madera, CA - Judges for the prestigious National Sales and Marketing Awards (The Nationals) have awarded their highest honor to the Madera County master-planned community of Riverstone. The community was named the Gold Award recipient for “On the Boards Community” in its annual competition. Winners were announced on January 19th at The Nationals Gala in Las Vegas, held in conjunction with the annual International Builders’ Show.

The competition is presented by the National Sales and Marketing Council (NSMC), a council of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Winners of The Nationals emerge from a painstaking three-day judging process that includes evaluation by some of the industry's finest marketing professionals, representing a wide range of disciplines and a geographic cross section.

Riverstone’s entry tower is a tribute to the farming heritage of both the community and the Valley. Remnant olive groves will accent streetscapes in phase one, preserving the community’s agrarian legacy.

Accepting Riverstone’s Gold Award at The Nationals℠ in Las Vegas are (left to right) Todd Larner and Fernando Laullon of William Hezmalhalch Architects; Toni Alexander of InterCommunications^® Nick Bruno, Timothy Jones and Miranda Jones of Riverstone Development, LLC; Ed Dunkel, Jr. of Precision Civil Engineering, Inc.; and Joe Pickett of Pickett & Sons Construction, Inc.

An innovative new community rising from agricultural lands in southeast Madera County in the heart of the Fresno Metro path of growth, the 2,000-acre Riverstone is a fully entitled development. When complete, Riverstone will total approximately 6,578 single-family, attached and multi-family homes, as well as commercial and mixed-use space including office, service and retail. Amenities at Riverstone are anticipated to include walkable neighborhoods with 200 acres of public and private parks and open space reserves, an extensive trail network, on-site schools, and future access to a nearby stretch of the San Joaquin River and adjacent lake. Riverstone’s first phase of homes is anticipated to be ready for occupancy this Fall. Interested homebuyers are encouraged to add their name to the Interest List at www.RiverstoneCA.com.

Riverstone is in the Golden Valley Unified School District, a district that has had its share of success and accolades. Golden Valley’s Liberty High School, for instance, boasts a graduation rate of 96.18%, which is the highest graduation rate in the region. Golden Valley Unified School District also maintains a better-than-average student-teacher ratio of 21:1, and was named a Silver Award recipient for Best High Schools from U.S. News & World Report.

“First and foremost, the credit for this award goes to Riverstone developer Tim Jones for his leadership in building and trusting our team to come up with a great creative plan,” said Todd Larner, Senior Principal of Community Planning and Design at William Hezmalhalch Architects and lead planner for Riverstone. “From the very beginning, the team has had an unwavering conviction regarding the authenticity of place. The team has shown, and continues to show, the utmost respect for the honesty of the land and how it translates into a destination for future generations of families.”

“All of us at Riverstone are obviously very pleased with this national recognition,” said developer Tim Jones. “The award is affirmation of our hard work and desire to go far beyond the concept of the typical suburban planned community. Our goal has always been the creation of a progressive, forward-thinking Central Valley community—one that incorporates top quality and innovative design while paying homage to the agrarian spirit of Madera, Fresno and Clovis.”

The land-planning firm guiding the Riverstone vision is Santa Ana, California-based William Hezmalhalch Architects (WHA), a global, comprehensive land planning and design studio that specializes in the shaping of new communities.

“Riverstone is a different kind of place,” continued Todd Larner of WHA. “The unique nature of the project enabled us to incorporate all the things that make a community a great place to call home. At its essence, Riverstone is evolutionary. It’s all about the elements of home, food, gathering and adventure. When you combine these things together in an authentic and simple-yet-elegant way, the experience becomes timeless.”

Now in its 36th year, The Nationals honors superior sales and marketing achievements by individual professionals, homebuilders and associates, and sales and marketing councils. The nation's largest competition for sales and marketing professionals and communities, The Nationals showcases winners in distinguished national, regional and local publications. For more information about the new-home community of Riverstone, homebuyers are encouraged to visit the community’s website at www.RiverstoneCA.com and add their name to the Interest List.

For more information about Riverstone, homebuyers are encouraged to visit the community's website at www.RiverstoneCA.com and add their name to the Interest List.

Those interested in commercial leasing opportunities should contact Riverstone Development, LLC at (559) 237-7000 or email info@riverstoneca.com.