Sustainable Land Development Today - April 2008 - (Page 31) have been built, including the model, and construction on two more will begin this spring. Phase two construction is underway. Several lots have been sold and there is an “interested party” list of more 220 names of people that want to see if the development will actually be built. “Once we get the remainder of the roads put in and get a couple more houses built like the first two, I think it will start to move pretty quickly,” Allen said. Key Concept: Conservation Allen went to the source of his inspiration for the development by contacting Arendt, who was brought on to evaluate the project. “He sent back a couple potential designs and said, ‘Now you need somebody, that can walk the land with you, look at some of the concepts and start putting ideas together,” Allen said. Following the advice, he contacted Dallas architect Gary Olp and land planner Teresa Biddick, who traveled to the property and spent time walking the land and developing concepts. Biddick spent several days on the property, studying the landscape and its drainage corridors before returning to her studio to come up with several alternatives for the development. “We went back and forth until we arrived at a site plan that could be desirable in the marketplace,” Allen said. Currently reviewing several options, 60-percent of the subdivision - approximately 40-acres - is going into a conservation easement, which will bar it from development. Working with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the family is actively managing that area. Streams are being restored, wetlands created and native species are being planted throughout. Through natural means they seek to control an invasive species of grass, called Coastal Bermuda, which is mixed in with the native grasses; and eradicate non-native species like fire ants. There’s also a program for erosion control and to manage the woodland areas, which has become over grown, and crowded with smaller trees. “If we can allow more light onto the forest floor, we can get more under-story growth, which provides more habitat for birds and small critters and help with the seed bank that is stuck in that soil and not getting enough sun,” Allen said. The Development Saving the oaks, many of which are a century old, is a critical element of the A FIBER-OPTIC AMENITY IS A PROVEN WAY TO SELL UNITS FASTER. Connexion Technologies invests in your properties using our capital to design, build, deploy and manage a state-of-the-art fiber network. The best part? Being a Certified Fiber-Optic Development differentiates your properties as television, telephone and Internet services are seamlessly delivered to residents at the speed of light. Buyers value this cutting-edge technology in their new home. Find out if your property meets our investment criteria and realize the selling power of fiber. 919.535.7329 | CNXNTECH.COM Circle 145 • or www.SLDTonline.com/webcard www.SLDTonline.com 31 http://CNXNTECH.COM http://CNXNTECH.COM http://www.SLDTonline.com/webcard http://www.SLDTonline.com
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