Since 2005, seniors on the outskirts of Chicago looking for the perfect place to call home have enjoyed the beautiful amenities and active lifestyle of this gated community along the Randall Road Corridor. Today, there are over one thousand homes inside the cozy confines of this 55+ community that takes pride in every inch of its lush 440 acres. The property features tennis and bocce ball courts, plus the popular biking and walking trails graced with vibrant landscaping to enhance the meditative outdoor exercising.
Challenges
A rare challenge emerged when the residents took over the property management responsibilities from the original developer. This transition period can often trip up landscaping providers, as resident expectations typically go up while the budget goes down. Combine that challenge with the huge land mass (over 400 acres) to maintain consistently pristinely.
Another concern was how to make this HOA community stand out among countless other properties vying for suburban Chicago senior home buyers’ attention. HOA guidelines such as plant palettes can sometimes limit a landscape provider’s options to make the neighborhood uniquely appealing to home shoppers.
One final unique challenge was the management of beaver dams on the property’s waterways. Respecting local wildlife while avoiding potential property damage can be difficult to balance. All of the challenges noted above were complicated by the need to communicate solutions to a variety of stakeholders versus discussions with a single property manager.
Results
Yellowstone Landscape has proudly serviced this property for over 15 years now. See how we’ve managed the variety of landscape challenges of this senior living community.
- Meticulous logistic planning keeps problems at bay despite the enormous property size.
- Our low turnover rate means many of our team members have been maintaining this property for over a decade.
- A Yellowstone dedicated account manager goes the extra mile, sitting in on HOA meetings and attending neighborhood social gatherings.
- This coordinated company consistency helps us understand neighborhood sentiment from the board of directors all the way down to individual homeowners.
- Our world-class designers give this community unique curb appeal using traditional plants in uncommon combinations and rotations (breathtaking daisies being one example).
- Native plants have reduced maintenance costs annually.
- The full-service turf program produces some of the best green spaces in all of Illinois.
- Monitoring the main creek during weekly landscape maintenance helps us prevent potential beaver dam damage before it causes flooding.
- Walking and biking paths are kept spotless to match the surrounding flower bed aesthetics and reduce any fall risks for the active senior residents.
- Weekly safety discussions and annual safety rodeos at Yellowstone Landscape make public safety the main focus of our crews.
- Our decade-plus experience servicing a variety of high-end Chicago properties has helped us meet this valuable community’s expectations.
- The client wisely invested in our tree inventory service to ensure the well-being of their valuable trees.
- Each year, our designers present new ways to enhance the meditative walking trails and garden through ongoing education on the health benefits of green spaces.
Property Awards & Accolades
“Numerous neighborhood parks with scenic landscaping - perfect for residents to meet with neighbors or just relax.”
“NALP Silver Award Winner.”
“Great place to call home.”
Resident Driven Results
It shouldn’t be a surprise that this property has won the National Association of Landscape Professionals Silver Award and receives so many accolades for its grounds. While not always true that a property rises to an even more improved level of landscaping attractiveness after a resident takeover of responsibilities from the developer, that’s exactly what’s happened here. That transition doesn’t always come with the usual pitfalls due to the multiplying of parties involved in community expectations, landscape contract negotiations, and budget concerns.
This amazing 55+ Chicago community is a shining example of the exception to the rule. They clearly communicated their lofty and worthy ideals for the property where they live, play, and connect with neighbors. Not only that, they used wise judgment in not rushing out to replace their landscaping provider with the a lower priced alternative. That would be a natural step for many people who might not understand the nuances of what it takes to maintain the most appealing green spaces possible.
All the credit for this uncommon discernment goes to the residents who did take time to talk with Yellowstone Landscape leadership. We were given the opportunity to show them exactly how we had been enhancing and maintaining the community landscaping for years, which they acknowledged they were highly pleased with. They simply needed assurance that the world-class service would continue and their concerns would be listened to, even with multiple new stakeholders involved in a resident-managed property.
This relationship is one of the proudest ones we’ve built in the past few years. It shows top-notch communication between client and landscape provider is as critical to curb appeal as expert horticultural knowledge.
If you’re looking for results similar to this HOA case study and want a landscaping provider focused on communication, contact Yellowstone Landscape today.
