Whittier Ranch Development Honored with Gold Nugget Award

Online, October 21, 2010 (Newswire.com) - INDIO, CA ... Honorees for the 2010 Gold Nugget Awards have been announced and Whittier Ranch Development has received the Award of Merit Honors for Best Renovated/Restored House or Project. The Gold Nugget Awards honor creative achievements in architectural design and land use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects.

"This is a tremendous honor for us," said Albert Keck, owner of Whittier Ranch. "Whittier Ranch has been an important project and we are proud of what we have accomplished thus far."

This project was a special case for the Keck family. In 2008, John Keck, a long time Coachella Valley resident and date grower, drove by Whittier Ranch and what he saw was not the thriving community he remembered. Whittier Ranch, originally one of the Coachella Valley's first date groves with a unique history dating back to the early 1900s, was in a dilapidated state. Keck envisioned the beautiful neighborhood that he knew Whittier Ranch could once again be and purchased the foreclosed project.

For months, the Keck's completely restored and refurbished the four models and finished construction of the 17 homes. Working with the city Mayor and city council, landscaping was added throughout the community and improvements were made to public streets and sidewalks. The family also employed Danielian Associates, an award winning architectural and land-planning firm with over 40 years of experience, who made the original designs for the development project.

The Keck family worked closely with Jeff Fidler to conduct intensive due diligence during the purchase phase of the project. Jeff Fidler and Associates acted as the project manager to complete the construction of the original homes and is now leading the development through the next phase of construction.

By the time the models were ready to sell, the homes had been masterfully renewed. Gourmet kitchens with granite countertops, energy saving ceiling fans in every room, lush front yard landscaping, and other amenities matched with great prices made the development once again one of the most desirable in the area.

Whittier Ranch opened once more for business in May of 2009. The restored estates were priced low with added incentives and enticed many first-time homebuyers. By March 2010, all of the 17 homes in inventory were sold.

This past summer, ground was broken on Phase 2 to begin development on an additional 12 homes that are now on the market. When complete, the community will include 137 homes.

Whittier Ranch, is located at Avenue 48 and Jackson Street in South Indio, conveniently located to brand new shopping centers across the street. For more information on Whittier Ranch, call 760.625.1035 or go to www.whittierranch.com.