McWhinney Honored with National Design Awards

DENVER, Colo. (Feb. 6, 2023) – McWhinney has won three platinum awards for its Kinston Hub in the 2022 Best in American Living™ Awards (BALA) by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The awards were announced on Feb. 1 during the 2023 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.

The awards were all platinum in all three categories (the highest level award)

Quote from the judges:

“This is the perfect gathering spot for a community of this size, all the way down to the details. From smart outlets at the bar to raised garden beds outdoors to the incorporation of greenery and color, this facility provides a fun, welcoming spot that residents can utilize day in and day out.”

The Hub, which opened in May 2022, is the welcome center for Kinston, Centerra’s newest residential neighborhood on the east side of I-25 in Loveland. Envisioned as a gathering place for residents and their friends and families, its design suggests an adaptive reuse of two older buildings, an agrarian farmhouse-style structure and a brick, mercantile structure. Knitted together by a glass entryway, these two components create a warm gathering space and a sense of place in a brand-new development, with design choices that reflect the terrain and the origins of the land.

The facility is 5,750 square feet and sits on a 1.82-acre lot. It features a family-owned craft brewery and coffee shop called Mountain Cowboy, coworking spaces, a gathering room for community events, outdoor social spaces, indoor and outdoor art, five fireplaces, a community/demonstration garden and water-wise native landscaping. To take advantage of mountain views, the team elevated the building site by 8 feet.

“The Hub is an unparalleled community facility, featuring premier architectural and interior design that creates a warm and welcoming sense of place for residents of a brand-new, master-planned community,” said Abby Kirkbride, general manager of Centerra. “Its unique style/design includes cattle brands in the floorboards, a local artist’s Colorado wildflower mural and framed photos from the McWhinney family’s original homestead. The Hub isn’t just for Kinston residents – its doors are open to everyone.”

Kinston is located on 625 acres on the east side of the award-winning Centerra master-planned community. There are plans for approximately 2,900 homes at full build-out, and Kinston is working with four different home builders so far, offering single-family, built-for-rent and paired homes from the high $400s.

The Hub was designed by RHA (Robert Hidey Architects) and developed by McWhinney. The interior was designed by Creative License International. The land planner was McWhinney, and the landscape architect was DTJ Design.

Now in its 39th year, BALA recognizes outstanding achievement by builders and design professionals in all sectors of the residential housing industry including single-family production, custom, multifamily, affordable, remodeling, community and interiors. BALA is built on the principle that all great homes start with great design, no matter cost or size.

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About McWhinney

McWhinney is passionate about creating great places and providing awe-inspiring experiences. Since 1991, McWhinney has planned and developed more than 6,000 acres of innovative and sustainable master-planned communities and more than 12 million square feet of vertical commercial and mixed-use properties throughout the Rocky Mountain region and the West Coast. Over the years, McWhinney has been recognized for significant real estate development contributions, including being named Colorado’s “Developer of the Year” by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), multi-winner of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence, The Denver Business Journal (DBJ) Real Estate Champions – Catalyst Award for Denver Union Station and the Development Deal of the Year for Denver Union Station by NAIOP. McWhinney has been ranked 11 and 13 on the list of the Best Small and Medium-Sized Companies to work for in America. 

About Centerra

Centerra, an award‐winning 3,000‐acre master‐planned community located in Loveland at the heart of northern Colorado, is a McWhinney development that was built on the belief that nature provides the perfect balance to urban planning. As a community designed to enhance all aspects of life, Centerra integrates neighborhoods with recreation, art, shopping and dining, business opportunities and medical services. Centerra and its businesses offer more than 8,500 part-time and full-time jobs. This unique community is home to Northern Colorado’s first lifestyle center, The Promenade Shops at Centerra; UCHealth–Medical Center of The Rockies, a state‐of‐the‐art 187 bed LEED gold‐certified regional hospital; and The Marketplace at Centerra, one of Northern Colorado’s largest contiguous shopping centers. Centerra is also home to High Plains Environmental Center, which manages 483 acres of wetlands, open space and reservoirs within Centerra, and Chapungu Sculpture Park, a 26-acre park with more than 80 stone sculptures throughout. In 2018, Centerra became the first certified National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Community Wildlife Habitat in Colorado. In 2022, Centerra was designated the state’s first Sustainable Landscape Community by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, a designation recognizing the community’s commitment to water conservation and sustainability. Named Development of the Year by the National Association of Industrial & Office Properties’ (NAIOP) Colorado Chapter, Centerra embodies McWhinney’s purpose of creating great places and fabled experiences for people. For additional information, visit www.centerra.com.

McWhinney and AHV Communities (AHV) announced they will be co-developing Built-for-Rent® homes at McWhinney’s 1,100-acre Baseline community in Broomfield, and at Kinston, within its 3,000-acre Centerra master-planned community in Loveland. McWhinney and AHV Communities solidified their Built-for-Rent® partnership this month and expect to break ground on 240 homes within Centerra’s Kinston community this year and have plans to deliver 242 homes at Baseline.


“In Colorado’s extremely competitive home-buying market, built-for-rent homes are a great option for those who aren’t ready to buy or need something larger than an apartment home,” said Ray Pittman, President & CEO at McWhinney. “We’re excited to partner and develop these new home offerings with AHV Communities. They have a strong track record of creating quality rental homes across numerous states, and together we will provide new options for future residents interested in our highly sought-after Baseline and Centerra master-planned communities.”

Baseline plans to offer the Finley rental townhome in Parkside West located east of Sheridan Boulevard. The Finley floor plan averages just under 1,400 square feet and is anticipated to open in early 2023. A second built-to-rent home option, the Grayson floor plan, averaging 1,800 square feet is anticipated to be available late 2023.

Baseline serves as Colorado’s first Pollinator District™ and is prominently located at the junction of I-25, Northwest Parkway (E-470) and Highway 7/Baseline Road in Broomfield. Baseline is quickly evolving as a new economic mixed-use community that completes the Denver/Boulder triangle. McWhinney’s development plans call for approximately 9,200 home options and up to 8 million square feet of commercial at full build out.

Kinston has plans to launch the VellaTerra paired-home floor plan offering approximately 1,345 square feet of space and is anticipated to be available early 2023. Kinston is McWhinney’s newest residential village located on the east side of the award-winning, Centerra master-planned community in Loveland. At full buildout, Kinston plans to deliver 2,800 estimated home sites to help meet the growing demand for northern Colorado residents and will become a part of Centerra’s Certified National Wildlife community.

“Our team is excited to co-develop these new communities along the Front Range with McWhinney,” said Mark Wolf, founder and CEO of AHV Communities. “Not only will these two new communities help address heightened demand for quality rentals in the region, but they also mark our company’s entrance and expansion into the Colorado market, as well as highlight the heightened activity within our current $1.2 billion pipeline, which encompasses 15 communities and 3,000 units across numerous states.” The Finley and Grayson at Baseline and VellaTerra at Centerra Built-for-Rent® home communities will be AHV‘s first in Colorado. Like all AHV Communities, the rental homes will be managed and maintained onsite to ensure top customer service to prospective and current residents. Additionally, each community will be outfitted with an enviable suite of onsite, exclusive amenities including a pool, fitness center and a community center to gather. Additional amenities spread across the communities are planned to include outdoor spaces and game courts, barbeque and picnic areas, spa jacuzzies, bike rooms and conference rooms.