By Sam Prickett
When it was announced last year that the Hill luxury apartments in Homewood were being transformed into the Eastbury – a 122-unit condominium development – Ronald Chaffin and Evgeniya Koshelyaevskaya were in the process of buying a house in Homewood.
the Eastbury, a 122-unit condominium development. Photos courtesy The Eastbury.
But that announcement, they say, made them change their plans. Now, they’re scheduled to become some of the Eastbury’s first tenants.
The decision to transform the property, at 1804 Oxmoor Road, was meant to appeal to a wide variety of customers – “folks who want a lower-maintenance type of lifestyle, where they can have a place in an urban setting, whether they’re traveling as professionals, young or old, downsizing or upsizing,” said Farris Properties portfolio manager John Chapman.
Chapman said Eastbury’s location, a short distance from downtown Homewood, has an “irreplaceable” appeal.
That’s certainly the case for Chaffin and Koshelyaevskaya, who first moved to Homewood in 2016. Previously, the couple had split their time between a Manhattan apartment and a second home in Bradley Beach, New Jersey.
When they decided to move to the Birmingham metro area for Chaffin’s job as a health insurance executive, they considered a variety of areas, including Mountain Brook, Crestline, English Village and Highland Park.
But they settled on Homewood because, in many ways, it resembled their previous homes.
“In Manhattan, once we got home (from work), we walked everywhere,” Chaffin said, “and Bradley Beach was a small Jersey Shore town. We just liked living in a small community, and we were really interested in places where we could walk. We were attracted to Homewood, really, because of the town center.”
The couple moved into the Hill, living there for two years before moving into a smaller, less expensive apartment complex as they prepared to purchase and move into a new house.
“But when the Eastbury converted to condos, my wife already knew exactly which unit she wanted,” Chaffin said, laughing.
“It was a good opportunity, so we just decided to leave the house alone and proceed with the condo,” Koshelyaevskaya said.
The couple said they had outgrown their two-bedroom apartment at the Hill, and their new three-bedroom unit at the Eastbury will allow enough room for them, their young child and their dog. One- and two-bedroom units also are available at Eastbury.
Upgrades, Amenities and Location
They also were drawn in by the upgrades that were made to the units during the conversion from apartments to condos.
“They added more lighting, they added crown molding throughout and tall baseboards in the main living areas,” Chaffin said. “New floors, new tile … . The bathrooms both have showers. They’ve definitely made something more appropriate that you would buy versus rent.”
Koshelyaevskaya added that the Eastbury’s overall infrastructure, which includes a swimming pool, an outdoor kitchen, a fitness room, off-street parking, garage spaces and storage rooms, also was a draw.
“We just thought, we really don’t want to put time and effort into maintaining a yard,” Chaffin laughed.
But the couple said the location in the middle of Homewood remains the biggest appeal of the Eastbury.
“The park is not far away; the library is not far away. It’s really, really walkable, kind of its own community, and I like that about it,” Koshelyaevskaya said “And it’s safe. The police station is close by, and that made me feel safe … and very importantly for those of us who have kids, the school district is very good.”
But being able to walk to downtown Homewood was the “most important” part of the decision to move into the Eastbury, the couple said.
“One of our favorite things to do is to go out to eat, and we liked the restaurants,” Chaffin said. “On the weekend, we like to get up in the morning and go sit somewhere and have a cup of coffee. There are several places we can go have breakfast or brunch. The main street has good restaurants, and we expect them to continue to get better as the area further develops. And the shops are really interesting. If we want to go and browse, buy gifts or anything like that, there’s a good selection.”
Another “significant consideration,” Chaffin said, is the short commute to downtown Birmingham, where he works.
“I have a seven-minute commute, which is great. I wouldn’t want to be any farther down Highway 280, and I wouldn’t want to be any farther down Independence Highway (U.S. 31), because I don’t like to spend that much time in the car,” he said. “To us, it was all about convenience.”
For more information about the Eastbury, visit theeastbury.com.
