The Community

1. What makes Hidden Gardens different from other condos or townhomes in Spokane?

2. Where exactly is Hidden Gardens located on the South Hill?

Hidden Gardens at Bella Terra is located on Spokane’s South Hill, on Havana Street between 23rd and 24th Avenue — tucked near the end of a quiet residential street with almost no through traffic. With a 17 acre gated site, Bella Terra is large enough to create its own distinct setting. The setting feels private and secluded, yet it is just 12 blocks from Lincoln Heights shopping, dining, and medical services, and approximately 10–15 minutes from downtown Spokane and the region’s major hospitals.

3. Is the community age-restricted?

No. Hidden Gardens is not an age-restricted or 55-plus community. It works for buyers across a wide range of life stages — from first-time buyers and busy professionals to those planning ahead for low-maintenance living or aging in place. The mix of potential residents and home types is part of what makes the community feel like a genuine neighborhood rather than a category-specific development.

4. How many homes are in Hidden Gardens, and what is the broader development plan?

Hidden Gardens adds 16 new townhome condominiums to the Bella Terra community. Phase 1 of Bella Terra consists of 36 completed and occupied luxury townhomes. Future additions to the 17-acre site will be developed over time, including more homes, additional viewpoints, and new garden areas. For an overview of the full vision, see The Master Plan on the website home page. Sign up for updates to stay informed on completion timelines and availability.

5. What is the Central Garden, and who maintains it?

The 60,000 square foot Central Garden is the heart of the Bella Terra community — one of the largest privately maintained garden spaces in the Inland Northwest. It features walking paths, water features, mature plantings, and gathering spaces. All common area landscaping is maintained by the HOA year-round. Individual homeowners enjoy the gardens without any maintenance responsibility.

6. Are these townhomes or condominiums?

In appearance, layout, and everyday living experience, these are townhomes. Each residence has its own private entrance, no shared hallways, and no common living spaces. “Condominium” refers to the legal ownership structure, not the style of home. Because each building sits on a single lot, Washington State law uses a condominium declaration to give each unit its own legal address and allow it to be separately owned and sold. Think of it simply as the legal paperwork that makes individual ownership possible — it has nothing to do with the way the home looks or feels to live in. Insurance note: If you purchase a home at Hidden Gardens, your insurance broker may initially assume it is a condominium. The Hidden Gardens townhomes are permitted and classified as single-family residences — not as multi-unit condominium buildings. Simply let your broker know that these are two-story duplex buildings of approximately 3,000 SF in total, each containing an upper and lower unit, and that will give them what they need to classify your coverage correctly. If they have questions, please have them give us a call. We call them Luxury Townhome Condominiums because that is exactly what they are: homes that live like townhomes, with separate legal addresses so that they may have individually titled ownership.

The Homes

7. What are the two home options and how do they differ?

Hidden Gardens offers two distinct townhome floor plans in every building — a main-floor residence and a second-floor residence. The main-floor Thoreau (1,076 SF) is single-level with no stairs, two bedrooms, two baths, and a private courtyard garden that opens directly from the great room. The second-floor Thoreau (1,975 SF) is a larger three-bedroom, two-bath home with a spacious great room and an expansive partially covered terrace deck — plus an optional private elevator. Both homes have attached garages and no shared walls between main living spaces.

8. What is the pricing?

Introductory pricing starts at $695,000 for the main-floor townhome and $795,000 for the second-floor townhome. For reference, the larger Phase 1 Bella Terra homes have generally sold between $800,000 and over $1.2 million — the Hidden Gardens homes offer an attainable entry into the same South Hill gated community at these introductory price points.

9. Is an elevator available, and which homes can accommodate one?

Yes. Every second-floor Thoreau home is built elevator-ready. A private residential elevator can be installed during initial construction — the more cost-effective and less disruptive option — or added later. This makes the upper-level home a practical long-term choice for buyers who want the larger floor plan today while knowing the home can adapt gracefully over time. These elevators are high quality and surprisingly affordable while adding value at eventual resale of the townhome.

10. How is noise and sound separation handled between the upper and lower units?

Sound separation was one of the highest design priorities at Hidden Gardens. The floor and ceiling assembly between the two homes was engineered by an acoustic engineer to exceed the Federal Housing Administration’s Grade 1 Luxury standard — the highest residential rating — addressing both impact sounds like footsteps and airborne sounds like music or conversation. The result is a quiet living environment in both homes.

11. What types of interior finish and add-on options are available?

At Hidden Gardens, the home interiors have been designed to include the most desired add-ons and extras in order to provide the best possible value and a simplified buying experience. Subject to the timing of purchase, buyers will have several interior finish options and appliance upgrades to select from. We are happy to review floor plans and interior options and to answer your questions. Please contact us and we will follow up with a call or email, whichever you prefer.

Ownership & HOA

12. What does the HOA cover — and what are the monthly fees?

The HOA handles all landscaping throughout the community and around each home (with the exception of the ground-floor private courtyard garden), snow removal including individual driveways and personal pathways, and ongoing exterior maintenance. This means no yard work, no irrigation management, no contractor coordination — your time is genuinely your own. For more detail on HOA services, see the Bella Terra HOA page on the website. Final HOA fee amounts for the new Hidden Garden townhomes are currently being finalized.

13. Are pets allowed?

Dogs and cats are welcome at Hidden Gardens, with some limits. Each residence may have up to two dogs and up to two cats, plus other household pets that don’t create a nuisance. Dogs must be kept on a leash whenever they’re off your property, and owners are required to clean up after them immediately in common areas. Because Bella Terra is intended to function as a bird sanctuary, cat owners are expected to make reasonable efforts to prevent their cats from hunting. Persistent nuisance behavior by any pet may result in Association oversight or required removal.

14. Can I rent out my home?

Rentals are subject to several important restrictions. During the first two years of ownership, renting your entire residence is not permitted, though the Board may grant a hardship waiver on a case-by-case basis. After two years, rentals are allowed but must be for a minimum term of six months — short-term and vacation-style rentals are not permitted. Room rentals or shared living arrangements (where the owner continues to reside in the home) are allowed, provided no more than two families or domestic partners share the residence. Repeated violations of the rental policy may result in the Board revoking rental privileges. Questions about specific situations should be directed to the Board of Directors.

15. Do I need a real estate agent to purchase a Hidden Gardens home?

Location & Lifestyle

16. What hiking and outdoor recreation is nearby?

Dishman Hills / Iller Creek Conservation Area — approximately 1,000 acres of protected wilderness — is about 10 minutes from Hidden Gardens, with 11 miles of trails, dramatic viewpoints, and rock climbing at The Rocks of Sharon ranging from beginner to expert. It is an unusually rare combination: a private gated garden community on the South Hill with world-class trail access just minutes away.

17. What does “gated community” mean practically — how does access and mail delivery work?

Hidden Gardens is part of the gated Bella Terra planned unit development. U.S. Postal Service mail and parcels are delivered to locked individual Homeowner receptacles inside the gates. Delivery services such as Amazon, UPS, and FedEx deliver directly to your doorstep within the gated community, with neighbors nearby for added security. When you travel, your home is secure, maintained, and ready when you return.

18. Can two generations of the same family live in the same building — or nearby?

Yes — this is one of the more distinctive aspects of the Hidden Gardens design. Because each building contains just two separately owned homes (one upper, one lower), two households — such as adult children and their parents — can own adjacent homes in the same building while each maintaining complete independence, privacy, and a separate legal address. As an alternative, the two households can choose to live in separate buildings but within easy walking distance of one another within the community. Ownership can be structured multiple ways, including each party holding their own title or one party owning both units. For the full description of how intergenerational living works at Hidden Gardens, see the Intergenerational Living page linked from the main website.

19. Is there a way to receive construction updates?

Yes — to be added to our contact list and receive updates on construction progress and availability, please Sign Up for Updates.