It’s a bright new day at Balsam Mountain Preserve. After a brief six-month hiatus, one of the Southeast’s premier private communities is back on track led by international resort industry veteran and expert Ken Costanzo. In his role as president of Balsam Mountain Preserve, a private golf community located in western North Carolina, Costanzo is dedicated and optimistic: “The worst of the real estate downturn is behind us. Balsam Mountain Preserve now has the advantage of stable, institutional ownership and no debt; we’re moving forward expeditiously to complete this exceptional project in one of the country’s most beautiful settings.”
The two-year-long economic debacle has hit builders, developers and homeowners particularly hard. Just recently we reeled from the purportedly nefarious practices of Wall Street bankers as many highly successful private communities continue to feel the proverbial “pinch of the shoe” while attempting to ride out the “perfect storm.” The turn-around at Balsam is a decidedly positive sign. 
Immediate plans at Balsam Mountain Preserve call for the May opening of the Arnold Palmer Signature golf course for the season, and the marketing and sales of the community’s remaining 100 or so building lots. Set deeply in the dense forests adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in close proximity to Asheville, Balsam Mountain Preserve is a beacon for environmental stewardship. More than 3,000 of its 4,400 acres (77% of the community) have been placed in a permanent conservation easement to protect and sustain its park-like ambience. Just 354 families will have the opportunity to own a home at Balsam Mountain Preserve.
Ruby Valley Sports Camp at Night
In addition to the championship golf course and golf practice park, the community offers the Ruby Valley Sports Camp complete with fitness center, tennis courts, swimming pool and activity pavilion; horseback riding on 34 miles of private community trails; Dark Ridge Camp with pavilion, bunkhouse, numerous camping sites and trout fishing; a nature center featuring on-site Naturalists and a “Boarding House” that includes ten mountaintop cabins, a timber-framed restaurant, lounge and gathering room with a massive stone fireplace. Balsam has been recognized by Links magazine and Travel + Leisure Golf as one of the top private golf communities in the state of North Carolina.
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