On October 11, 2011, Pike Road residents voted to raise property taxes to support a new, independent Pike Road school system.  Plans for this school have been in the works since 2006, and the approval of a 16 mill property tax increase means construction of a K-8 facility will begin in 2014.  Grades 9-12 will be phased in, one per year, thereafter.

The Town of Pike Road’s website is a great resource to find out more about the new school.  Here’s the short version of what it’s all about (for the longer version, click here):

The Pike Road School will be a Professional Development School, or PDS.  This means it will partner with 4 universities in this area to help future teachers learn alongside veteran teachers and university faculty.  The goal is a win-win environment for students in Pike Road, for the universities, and for other students in Alabama who will benefit from the resources and research done at the school.

The school will be within Montgomery County, but independent of the Montgomery Public School System.

But this is a real estate website.  Why all the talk about a new school?

If you currently live in Pike Road, in my estimation, you’ll likely see property values rise.  Think of other independent school systems in Birmingham, for example, and the demand for housing in those zones.  This is merely anecdotal evidence, but since the vote in October, developments that have been ghost towns since the recession are booming: Bon Terre, Providence – have you been by in the last few months? Whoa.

If you have any questions or would like to speak to a Realtor about properties in Pike Road, give us a call.  We’d love to help you find your piece of Pike Road and take advantage of the new school system. Call John at (334) 221-5862, or contact him by clicking here.

If you need to jump on I-85 N quickly, like a suburban atmosphere in a rural part of Pike Road, and prefer neighborhood amenities like a pool and clubhouse, Stone Park might be a good fit.

Stone Park has new construction homes that are Craftsman in style.  According the Stone Park website, standard features include  10 foot ceilings, granite counter tops, custom cabinets, and fenced yards.  You’ll see exterior designs that are similar to most new-construction neighborhoods, i.e. 2 car garages on the front of homes. You’ll also see sidewalks and underground utilities.

Homes range in size from 2,015 SF – 3,200 SF, and prices begin in the low $200’s.

At this time, Stone Park is one of the closest new construction neighborhoods to the proposed Pike Road School site.  The new school will be located in the back of The Waters development, which is maybe a mile or two from Stone Park down Marler Road.

If you’d like more information on homes for sale right now in Stone Park, or have any questions about Pike Road real estate, call John at (334) 221-5862, email us at threeriversrecon @ coleyre. com, or simply click here to fill out the contact form.

Gray Ridge is small – there’s one main street that runs through the development – so there’s no thru traffic, and it’s very convenient to I-85.  Some parts of Pike Road are very rural, but Gray Ridge has a suburban feel. It backs up to the established neighborhood of Lochshire, and is also close to Bridle Brook and Woodland Creek.

Gray Ridge is just north of the Pike and Vaughn Roads intersection.  Turn left from Vaughn Road onto Pike Road, pass the CVS and entrance to Lochshire, and Gray Ridge is the next neighborhood on your right. You’re close to Vaughn  Road, Chantilly Parkway (Wal Mart, Home Depot), and The Shoppes at EastChase.  For a Pike Road location, it’s very close to East Montgomery, and since you can hop on I-85 quickly at either the Mitylene or Waugfh exits via Highway 80, drive time into the city is pretty quick.

Gray Ridge is another neighborhood that was originally begun before the recession of 2008.  One or maybe two homes were built, and then it sat silent for a few years.  It’s been in the hands of a couple of developers along the way, but Gray Ridge is now being built out by Stone Martin Builders. Similar to Bon Terre and Providence (both neighborhoods also on Pike Road), there are lots for sale and floor plans to choose from.  According to the ad in Montgomery Advertiser East Montgomery December 28, 2012 paper,  homes in Gray Ridge have 2,000 – 4,300 SF of living space and are priced from the $170’s to the $210’s.

I’ll let you do the math.

If you’d like to know more about homes and lots for sale right now in Gray Ridge, or have questions about Pike Road real estate in general,  contact us by clicking here, or call John at (334) 221-5862.

First are the Montgomery elementary schools – Blount, Halcyon, and the new Wilson elementary:

Wilson is green; Blount is blue; Halcyon in light pink.

For a more detailed elementary zoning map , click here.

Next, the East Montgomery middle/jr. high schools :

Pink is Brewbaker; Green is Carr; Purple is Georgia Washington

For a more detailed middle/jr. high map, click here.

Finally, the Montgomery high schools:

Green is Lanier; Pink is Jeff Davis; Brown is Lee

For a more detailed high school map, click here.

With two new public schools opening in east Montgomery, AL (Wilson Elementary and Carr Junior High), there’s been a lot of anticipation about who will go where, which neighborhoods will attend which school.

Now we know.  I got this info from the Montgomery Public Schools website -click here to get there.  A you know, they are the final authority on zoning, so check with them if you’re not sure where you’re zoned.

If you’re ready to find a house in one of these schools zones, give me a call or contact me.

It mostly covered the nature of the school system, which will be a P.D.S. school – or a Professional Development School - more on that later.

For now, check out this video of Pike Road Mayor Gordon Stone answering the big question:

When will Pike Road have its own school system?

His answer:

Also, I was pleased to be interviewed by WSFA Channel 12 and WAKA Channel 8.  It also aired on the local Fox affiliate WCOV.

I revealed two great pearls of wisdom: 1. choice is good and 2. schools are important.

Gee, I am brilliant.

The Town of Pike Roa

Here’s the agenda:

6:45pm:  Welcome remarks, Mayor Gordon Stone

7:00pm: Relationship of PRESET (Pike Road school) to PK Younge School

7:15pm:  Dr.  Fran Vandiver, Director, PK Younge School

7:30pm:  Dr. Lynda Hayes, Director of Research and Outreach

7:45pm:  Dr. Nancy Dana, Director for Center for School Improvement

8:00pm:  Questions and Answers

8:20pm:  Conclusion and Wrap-up, Mayor Stone

If you’re not able to make it, I’m going and will update you here.  By the way, the website for PK Younge Developmental Research School in Gainesville, FL is pretty neat and informative.  If you want to know what’s being planned for Pike Road, check it out here.

Related post:  Pike Road is an Option for East Montgomery

Below is the zoning map for Carr.  For closer detail, click here for the PDF from the MPS website

Here is the proposed map for Jim Wilson Elementary School.  Again, for more details click here for a link to the map on the MPS website.

This is a really important and exciting time for the Montgomery Public Schools and the city of Montgomery.  Two public forums have been scheduled to discuss the  new school zoning:  Monday, March 23rd  (today) at 6:00 pm at Blount Elementary School, and Thursday, March 26 at 6:00 pm at Brewbaker Junior High.  Parents are encouraged to attend these forums.  Voting on the new zoning will take place in April.

As always, if you’re looking for a home in one of these new Montgomery school zones, we’d love to help.  It costs you nothing to let an experienced Realtor help you with your home search.  Give us a call or email from the info at the top of the page, or contact us via the contact tab.

For pictures and video of these schools under construction check out these posts:

Neighborhood Spotlight:  New Park (video shows Wilson school)

Right Before Your Eyes:  Carr Middle School

For those of you looking for a new construction home in East Montgomery, New Park is an interesting option – interesting for two reasons.

1) The developer (Jim Wilson & Associates) has already brought Montgomery notable developments such as the Wynlakes neighborhood and country club, and the huge Eastchase shopping area.

2) The newest East Montgomery elementary school, James W. Wilson, Jr. Elementary School is being built inside New Park.  At this point, there is not another public school built inside an East Montgomery neighborhood.

Since it’s a brand new neighborhood, you have to build a home.  Phase One is paved and landscaped.  The total development will encompass 1,400 acres.  (To put that in perspective, Deer Creek, across from New Park on Ray Thorington Road, is built on around 800 acres.  Do the math.  The place is going to be big.)

Based on the New Park website, it looks like there are 5 builders to choose from to build your home.  You can use one of their house plans, or bring your own.

It will be interesting to see how quickly New Park grows once Jim Wilson Elementary school opens.  As of this post, Montgomery Public Schools has not finalized zoning plans for Wilson Elementary, or Carr Middle School (also under construction and next  to New Park).  Students in this area currently attend Blount Elementary School.

If you’re interested in New Park, or any neighborhood in the River Region, please contact us or give us a call.  We’d love to help you explore your options!

Directions to New Park:    From I-85,  take Taylor Road to Vaughn Road. Drive one mile and turn right at light onto Ray Thorington Road.   Drive 2 miles and New Park will be on your right.

I called the Montgomery Public Schools office Friday and was directed to their transportation department.  The employee who answered the phone there said that zoning decisions for next year are currently underway, and have not been released yet.

Students currently in the  Blount Elementary zone are living in homes south of Vaughn Road in East Montgomery neighborhoods like Sturbridge, Deer Creek, Thorington Trace, and Breckenridge.  Neighborhoods as far east as Woodland Creek are included in this school zone. (The map below shows  areas north of Vaughn that are zoned for Halcyon, and areas south of Vaughn currently zoned for Blount.)

As always, MPS is the final authority for zoning neighborhoods for public schools.  It’s a big deal for two new public schools to open in this area, so I’ll post an update when MPS finalizes zoning lines. If you’d like to find a home zoned for these new schools,  contact us or call the number at the top of the page. We know the area well and would love to help you find the right home and the right school for your family.