HOW Do You Design A Sustainable Neighborhood? Asheville Eco-Developer Team Tells All

As I threaded my way over the rocky path to one of the many waterfalls at the eco development our Firm is representing, I wondered...

how did these amazing folks (see the developers in photo I took to your left)  come up with a sustainable design? 

How can one create a conservation development in such a way that genuinely honors the land and protects the environment?

Always curious, I set out on a Q&A session by the waterfall. I wanted to know about the whole process involved in creating a sustainable design.

Q. "How did you make this happen?"

A. "We simply used the thoughtful stewardship principles that reflect our vision, and we used them in the planning of this entire eco-community!"

Q. "What are the steps in that process?"

 A. "Before any plans were made, we got together with a team of eco-savvy land planners and explored the lay of the land and got to know the ecology of the plants and animals  that make it their home."

Q. "What was next?"

• We decided to save the areas we loved the most [so that all in the conservation neighborhood could enjoy them] and not build on them.
• We avoided ridgeline sites that would disrupt scenic vistas.
• We made sure to protect the streams and water quality by maintaining wide riparian plant buffers on both sides.
• We clustered the home sites on a portion of the property rather than spreading them all over.
• We decided to maintain large contiguous blocks of undeveloped forest as a healthy habitat for plants and animals; and connected these areas with adjoining natural lands.
• We put a minimally disturbing forest management plan in place for selective tree cutting and no clear cutting, with special attention near streams, mountain slopes and ridges.
• We  used many native plants in landscaping.

The next time you find yourself on a couple of hundred acres of Land by a waterfall in a conservation neighborhood like this, you may have questions,too...let me know...I know who will have the answers.

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