40 Year Anniversary of the Orchards at Greentree Village

When the Roberts Farm along Route 73 was sold in 1974, the 'Planned Unit Development' (PUD) that was envisioned encompassed many different types of development - retail, office space, single family homes, condos, and apartments. In September, 1979, one of the key elements to the PUD had their Grand Opening, the 'Patio Homes' known as The Orchards at Greentree Village.

Patio Homes are described as single family homes attached to the garage. Similar to townhouses, they are only attached to the neighboring home by a single room, rather than a full wall. This gives the home a bit of privacy and reduces noise level.

Location of Roberts Farm and new PUD

When originally reported, the homes were noted to be priced in the mid $50s, but by the time of the Grand Opening, they were priced a bit higher. There were 4 models available: the Heather, Laurel and Holly were all 2 story colonials with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bath, while the Spruce was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch. They ranged in price from $58,900 to $61,900.

The first phase of the Orchards was 65 homes, with a plan for 280 in total. The Orchards is located behind where Firstrust Bank was recently demolished.

The Orchards was advertised as being very customizable, with one news story suggesting they should be called 'The Options', rather than the Orchards. Options included

3 types of fireplaces (brick, stone and European at $2,495, $2,695 and $1,895 respectively)
Upgraded master bath ($1,295)
Greenhouse windows ($395)
Auto garage door openers ($295)
French doors ($495)
Brick BBQ ($500)
Casablanca ceiling fans ($195)
Basement ($4000)

An optional greenhouse was also available.