CHARLEMONT — With the property at 133 Warfield Road officially in hand, work is now underway on the Hinata Retreat.

Jen and Jeff Neilsen closed on the 473-acre property on Oct. 29. They plan to revitalize the Warfield House Inn and construct 30, 500-square-foot rental cabins to create a retreat where folks can relax and make use of Franklin County’s natural and recreational resources.

The Agawam couple said they were inspired by a recent vacation to Tennessee in which they rented a cabin in a natural setting, taking a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Upon returning, they decided to start looking around western Massachusetts to see if they could bring that experience to a region known for its natural beauty.

“It’s like this kind of retreat on top of a mountain and it was beautiful, it was peaceful and it was literally the best vacation, for me personally, that I’ve ever been on. It was just, we were in nature,” Jen Neilsen, 37, said. “We were sitting outside one morning having coffee and Jeff looks at me and goes, ‘We can do this in Massachusetts...’ We got back and started looking for land, and here we are a year later.”

The Neilsens, who run a real estate team in Hampden County, bought the property from the Schaefer family for $5.25 million. The Schaefers also own Berkshire East Mountain Resort.

“Every time we’ve come up here, it’s just so peaceful and quiet, and it’s a perfect place for people to experience what we did,” Jeff Neilsen, 38, added. “When we found this [property] and met the Schaefers, it was just kind of perfect.”

If the schedule goes as planned, the couple will continue to operate the site as a wedding venue throughout next year and will open its cabins, at the earliest, in fall 2025.

In all, less than 10% of the property, or 31 acres, will see development, as the Neilsens said they want to retain the natural character of the site — after all, it is a natural retreat to kick back and reconnect. The Warfield House Inn will continue to operate as a restaurant, albeit at a reduced scale, and is getting an interior renovation, as well as an extension to its deck to offer a scenic view to diners.

Once the cabins are open, Hinata Retreat expects to employ 15 to 30 people year-round to operate the wedding and outdoor hospitality venue. Additionally, the Neilsens said current wedding coordinator for the Warfield House Inn Katy Williams will stay on as the events coordinator for Hinata Retreat.

“Hinata” is a Japanese term that roughly translates to “facing the sun” or “sunflower” and Jen Neilsen, who has Japanese heritage, said the term perfectly captures the vibe of Hinata Retreat, as it is intended to be a peaceful place, with the buildings on the hillside facing the sun as it rises.

While the Neilsens were applying for their permit, support was widespread among those who attended the meetings, but there was concern over the amount of traffic that could be using Warfield Road, as well as safety regarding the challenging exit onto Route 2 in downtown Charlemont.

To alleviate concerns about traffic on Warfield Road, the Neilsens and Jon Schaefer proposed an approximately 5,200-foot driveway through the Zoar Outdoor property using a road running up the mountain. The Neilsens will be upgrading this driveway as part of the project. Zoar Outdoor is also owned by the Schaefer family and sits near the site where Hinata Resort will be built.

As work begins, the Neilsens said they’re excited to bring this project forward and offer a place for folks to retreat to. Once there, they can hang out in the cabins or head out to Charlemont and journey around Franklin County.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” Jeff Neilsen said, “where you can literally do anything you want.”

For more information about Hinata Retreat, visit its website at hinata-retreat.com, its Facebook page at bit.ly/3AtQiBk or its Instagram account at instagram.com/hinataretreat.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.