Building Memphis: Best Private Project (small)

More than just a multifamily dwelling, The Carrington at Schilling Farms serves a larger purpose within Boyle Investment Co.’s mixed-use development in the heart of Collierville.

It was the vision of Boyle executives Les Binkley III and Rusty Bloodworth for The Carrington to anchor the intersection of Schilling Boulevard and Winchester Road, a key southern point of the larger Schilling Farms development that would tie in with other residential components within the 443-acre development.

Schilling Farms is unique in the diversity of property uses contained within one overarching plan and its attempt to create such a comprehensive New Urbanism development within major transportation arteries Poplar Avenue to the north and Winchester to the south.

The Carrington marks Boyle’s reentry into the apartment market — upscale, like every other planned property within Schilling Farms, but more than just a place where families can live. It is smaller than a typical multifamily development at 111 units and contains a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom flats and townhomes.

“We avoided creating a monoculture that is found in many parts of suburbia, where you see sprawling multifamily communities behind gates with buildings endlessly repeated,” says Binkley.

Developing apartment communities again offers other advantages for Boyle. The recession awakened many would-be homeowners to the idea of having more flexibility in their choice of residence, so there is a long-term investment opportunity in developing apartments, according to Binkley. And developing multifamily communities gives the company another way to tie large developments such as Schilling Farms together and “continue refining our placemaking abilities to produce better and better neighborhoods.”

Many of the units at the Carrington have private, direct-access garages and they include 9- and 10-foot ceilings, granite countertops, shaker style wood cabinets, upscale lighting, designer flooring, large walk-in closets, crown molding, oversized patios and balconies, ceramic tiled bathrooms, and modern appliances, including washers and dryers.

The Carrington was designed with walkability in mind, as is all of Schilling Farms — the entire development connects with Collierville’s greenbelt trail system. Boyle’s land partner, Harry Smith, collaborated with apartment veterans Clyde Patton and Bruce Taylor to develop and own The Carrington at Schilling Farms.