Photo by Bob Valasek
Back in 2004, when M/I Homes advertised the new neighborhoods it was building in New Albany, it used the slogan “Where Country Meets Sophistication.”
M/I was trying to lure Columbus residents a little further northeast of the city than they were used to going, and one of the neighborhoods it touted during this time was Windsor.
The Windsor neighborhood is nestled just south of State Rt. 161 with New Albany Condit Road as its western border and U.S. Rt. 62 as its eastern border. It features more than 200 single-family houses and an additional 50 duplex-style homes.
With poetic-sounding street names such as Butterworth Green, Parsons Pass and Hearthstone Park, it’s no wonder the last of Windsor’s available lots sold and began construction recently. While the idea of country meeting sophistication worked at one time, the fully-developed Windsor of 2016 has begun taking on a more urban sense.
Windsor children celebrate the end of the school year. Photo courtesy of Abbey Brooks
Adjacent to the neighborhood’s entrance from Rt. 62 is the new Marburn Academy building. The 64,000-square-foot independent day school is scheduled to open in January 2017 and, along with new senior and assisted living housing being built just south on Rt. 62, stands to change the feel of Windsor. Abbey Brooks, community program director for Healthy New Albany and Windsor resident, believes this change is for the better.
“I think it’s going to be great when everything is complete,” Brooks says. “When we moved here, we hoped that more businesses would surround the neighborhood to give us more of a ‘downtown’ feel.”
The close proximity to schools, doctors, the post office, restaurants and shops was a main factor when Brooks and her husband, Steve, chose Windsor.
The style of homes in Windsor gives the neighborhood a city-like vibe as well. With smaller lots and carriageways that give access to garages behind the homes, wide-open spaces are reserved for the central English garden style green space in the neighborhood. This expanse of lawn and pathways includes a playground for the many children in the community and provides a place for the adults to converse.
The adults who live in Windsor also gather online through the Nextdoor app and website. Nextdoor is a private social network for neighborhoods that is designed to help neighbors communicate easily online.
According to www.nextdoor.com, its goal is to help neighbors and neighborhoods to “build happier, safer places to call home.” For Windsor residents, Nextdoor has “become a frequently used form of communication among neighbors and has come in handy on many occasions,” says resident Caitlin Cipollo.
Though Windsor is still one of the newer New Albany neighborhoods, traditions are beginning to take shape, one of which occurs each summer.
Photo by Bob Valasek
“The neighborhood typically celebrates the Fourth of July with a ‘dress-up-your-bike-or-tricycle’ parade, and many families fill up the park in Windsor to enjoy the New Albany fireworks in the evening,” says resident Christine Hire.
Because Windsor is across the street from the New Albany Learning Community campus, it has a front row seat for the annual fireworks show. This proximity to the school campus has other perks as well.
“It’s nice to be able to forgo parking for events like the fireworks, Founder’s Day festival or any sporting event,” says Cipollo.
Windsor was also the location of the very first New Albany Community Band neighborhood concert. In 2014, the band commenced its first free outdoor summer neighborhood show on the green space in Windsor with music focused on patriotic songs and well-known tunes from the movies and theater.
The short distance to the schools has also meant that Windsor has been without busing for much of the past two school years, but neighbors see the silver lining. In the spirit of Healthy New Albany, Windsor walks.
Photo by Bob Valasek
“We have a group of 30-plus people who walk to school each day during the school year,” says Brooks.
She adds that groups of walkers often can also be seen heading from Windsor to the New Albany Farmers Market or other events that take place in Market Square or at the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany.
While the sense of country living may be a thing of the past, Windsor’s more urban-feeling future looks bright.
“It’s a good feeling to walk down the streets of your neighborhood and be able to greet so many friends and neighbors,” says Brooks.
New Albany resident Bob Valasek is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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