Grand Getaways

Local Flair
Fractional and full ownerships span the landscape near and far. On a local level, Duluth-based Odyssey Development has responded to the demand for fractional and full ownership by offering opportunities for buyers in four northern Minnesota developments. Caribou Highlands Lodge on the Sawtooth Mountains features full-ownership vacation homes. Grand Superior Lodge, just north of Two Harbors, offers mostly full ownerships with several new fractionals in townhome or log cabin settings. Larsmont Cottages just north of Duluth, which opened a year ago, houses forty high-end units (thirty of which are fractionals) in a modern Scandinavian design. The same mix of units will be available at Trapper’s Landing Lodge on Leech Lake, Odyssey’s newest venture. The first six of the forty lake cabins open in June. All four properties will eventually feature classic resort amenities including pools, hot tubs, saunas, massage, boat rentals, entertainment, and restaurants, to which owners have full access. Larsmont will also host cooking demos and wine tastings for its members, while Trapper’s Landing is planning kids’ camps and an executive putting green.

The goal of each location, particularly with the fractionals, is to provide a piece of the Minnesotan dream, says Cindy Rodenhizer, Odyssey’s real estate marketing director. “The cachet of owning a cabin in Minnesota is something that everyone in the Midwest has growing up,” she says. “You don’t have to worry about painting, fixing the windows, or mowing the grass. We tell people to bring their ‘To Don’t’ list when they come up here. And because you own on lakeshore, your home will always hold its value.”

Another northern Minnesotan landmark offering a slice of Northwoods living is Kavanaugh’s Sylvan Lake Resort in Brainerd. Since 1981, the resort has offered full ownership of some of its units, with the owners and Kavanaugh’s splitting rental revenues. Now, the whole resort is moving to this concept. Fifty of seventy-five new and renovated townhomes and cottages, ranging from one to five bedrooms, are available for purchase. Homeowners can stay in their maintenance-free homes sixty days a year and have full access to the family-owned resort’s indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, two beaches, boat rentals, and paved trails.

The vacation homes are geared toward those who might not have months of time off but nevertheless want to make a smart investment, says Tom Kavanaugh, one of the resort’s owners. “There are a lot of people who want or can afford to own second homes, but they really can’t justify them,” he says. “They end up buying a place but only use it for three weeks out of the year. By buying a home here, they’re able to recover some of their expenses with the rent share.”

Just to the west, South Dakota’s Black Hills is an emerging market for luxury vacation options. Located between Deadwood and Sturgis, Apple Springs is a residential resort community that will eventually include 500 condominiums, townhomes, and single-family homes. Most homes, several of which are ready for occupancy, will be full ownerships, though a few fractionals will be available. Amenities will eventually include a pool, spa, restaurants, retail, a golf course, fitness center, stocked lake for fishing, walking trails, a 50,000-square-foot golf lodge and conference center, a wedding chapel, and amphitheater.

The concept for this type of development is new to the region, but the time is right for several reasons, says Dave Simpson, managing partner for Apple Springs. “The Black Hills have been largely undiscovered until recently,” he says. “Prices are definitely going up. The area has so much to offer in terms of beauty and access. We feel there’s a market out there for people who’d like to come to nicer facilities and amenities.”

To that end, Simpson is expecting that baby boomers from the Midwest, including the Twin Cities, who traditionally visit the area will be drawn to Apple Springs. “People are wanting to buy their piece of the Black Hills and have their family utilize it with the possibility of retiring here,” he says. “We want to create this very down-to-earth, family-oriented place.”

As the popularity of the Black Hills increases, the need to preserve sacred spaces becomes a factor in development. The desire to share the beauty of the area with others while using the land in the smartest way possible prompted Jim Farmer to found Tatanka Spirit, a twenty-six-home resort near Buffalo Gap.

Land and wilderness preservation are also at the heart of Farmer’s two other residential properties in the Black Hills, Canyon Rim Ranch and Lakota Lake Encampment. With Tatanka Spirit, Farmer hopes that the blend of full and fractional ownerships will draw like-minded people to the community.

“Our company was formed to help inspire a new kind of development: low-density, low-impact design that could be experienced by the most number of people,” he says. “The only way to really do that is to get more people using the same home. It’s another extension of conservation living.” A different architect will design each single-family home, ensuring an original look to each lot as well as a dwelling that makes use of the land on which it sits.