Sustainable Land Development Today - April 2008 - (Page 23) mixture of home sizes and costs to foster family diversity, and community parks. By design, the neighborhood’s network of roads, alleys, and parks, and traditional architecture, makes it seem to grow out of the adjoining, older neighborhoods. The sidewalks, front porches, and neighborhood parks foster a sense of community and encourage the types of interpersonal interactions and mutual support favored in traditional urban settings. More than ten-percent of the development was set aside as neighborhood parks. Upon completion, Mason Run is expected to provide up to 500 housing units for as many as 1,600 middle-income residents, whose spending will contribute an estimated $24 million annually to the local economy, especially in the nearby downtown area and contribute to the overall economic and cultural health of the community. The completed development will have a capital value of over $90 million and generate new annual property taxes of approximately $1.5 million. The economic impact also will include new sales tax and income tax revenues for the state. During construction, Mason Run is providing steady construction employment for 10-12 years. Mason Run is a fine example of the type of development that fits into the City of Monroe’s vision for the future – sustainable development that provides economic stimuli while enhancing quality of life. It provides sustainable reuse of 50 acres of brownfield property near the city’s urban core; parks and greenspace are created; land along the River Raisin is restored and preserved and public access is provided; new middle income housing stock is provided; the fabric of the community is preserved; land is returned to the tax rolls; and economic stimuli are provided to the nearby downtown business district. SLDT Photos courtesy of James Harless, Ph.D., C.H.M.M., R.B.P. (Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc.) An urgent call to action. “The most comprehensive, technically informed volume available on how to design and build places that are environmentally responsible and also gratifying to inhabit.” —New Urban News, December 2007 “This b book celebrates the magica power of design magical and of an emerging pattern human of hum settlement— Sustainable Urbanism— Susta that h holds the promise of str strengthening the inter interdependence of all on life o earth. . . . This book is a strategic call for boo lead leadership in the design and development of the places where Americans pla live, liv work, and play.” —From the Preface — 978-0-471-77751-9 Also Available! A must-read for anyone with a vested interest in utilizing the latest regulatory tool to help create compact, walkable, and sustainable communities. 978-0-470-04985-3 About the author: John Bachner is the executive director of the Institute of Brownfield Professionals, as well as a writer and lecturer on subjects such as risk management and profitability, contracts, effective field representation, and effective writing. He can be reached at john@brownfieldpros.org. To order your copy or to learn more, visit www.wiley.com/go/urbanplanning www.SLDTonline.com 23 http://www.wiley.com/go/urbanplanning http://www.wiley.com/go/urbanplanning http://www.SLDTonline.com
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