Meet one of the homebuyer guides at Hart Crossing.
Ask McKinley Smoot why anyone would want to live in Kamas Valley, and he’ll flip his no-nonsense answer into an enthusiastic question. Who wouldn’t want to live in Kamas Valley?
“I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,” he says. “Everyone in my family grew up on a cattle ranch in nearby Woodland. So my passion for this area and the land runs deep.”
McKinley’s family has called Kamas Valley home for three generations. They were drawn to the area for agriculture, ranching, and livestock and then established roots in real estate.
“That’s the way we’ve done it all my life,” he said. “Some people think of us as a little livestock and land family. I live in Marion now, which is only five minutes north of Francis. So, I’ll be welcoming everybody who makes Hart Crossing their home as my new neighbors. We all will. Everyone associated with this project lives in Kamas Valley.”
As a Kamas Valley native, no one can describe the lifestyle better. Although not a fan of winter like the skiers who pour into Park City every year, McKinley lights up talking about perfect summers and beautiful falls.
“Winter lasts a little in April, and it’s not uncommon to see some spring snowfall, but everything turns green by June. It’s as vibrant as you can imagine,” he says. “The weather is absolutely perfect into the second or third week in October when yellows and oranges pop in the fall.”
Hart Crossing is especially appealing, he says, because it represents the new American dream. More and more people are looking for areas where they can escape the hustle of the suburbs and city life without sacrificing the amenities that those areas provide.
“Rural life isn’t anything like it used to be,” McKinley explains. “Hardwired fiber optics has made remote work and telecommunicating very viable for many tech companies and customer service providers. And if someone does need to meet in person or can’t find something at a local grocer in Kamas, they’re only 20 minutes to Park City and 45 minutes to Salt Lake City, which is a shorter commute time than many big cities.”
For comparison, daily commute times of 30-45 minutes are common in most urban centers from coast to coast — more than an hour for anyone relying on public transit.
In Kamas Valley, almost everything is close by, easily less than 20 minutes along some of the most scenic roads in the nation. According to McKinley, the time savings alone makes moving in worth it. Every minute saved is another minute to enjoy the area’s amenities and activities: hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, fly fishing, and boating.
“Hart Crossing is a turnkey, near-custom community, ” says McKinley. “We’ve developed a collection of impressive homes in an extraordinary location for people who are looking for a quaint neighborhood in a rustic setting without extensive maintenance.”
He says the general idea is to build modern, luxurious homes on space-efficient lots that maximize curb appeal. By taking advantage of open spaces and the local park, residents will enjoy all the benefits of a beautiful preservation suburb without the hassles. Much of the care and maintenance will be managed by the homeowner’s association — a convenience that makes Hart Crossing ideal for a variety of lifestyles — active retirees, busy professionals, and growing families.
“So much of Kamas Valley is about enjoying the best of two worlds,” he said. “For example, I graduated from South Summit High School. The school is advanced enough to compete with urban schools in terms of education and sports, but small enough that you can be anything you want to be. Everyone has the potential to be whatever they want to be. And that’s something they can take with them when they graduate too.”
He adds that it doesn’t change much after high school. Kamas Valley is the kind of place where anyone can find whatever they are looking for — a quiet lifestyle in the great outdoors that surrounds the community or an active role in area events and local entertainment. Hart Crossing, he says, will be at the heart of it all.
