Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - (Page 12)

VISIONARY AWARD Go Forth and % ' * #" ' " By Rob Kundert Denver-area development’s tree-saving, low impact development approach draws 2008 Visionary Project of the Year Award. T om Morton knew they had something special when he looked upon the two pieces of land that Calgary, Canada-based Carma Developers eventually purchased in Aurora, Colorado in 1997. The old-growth stands of native Ponderosa Pine trees in the area known as the Black Forest, southeast of Denver, would become the signature feature of what would become known as Tallyn’s Reach. “It’s a fabulous piece of ground. Dramatic topography,” said Morton, senior vice president of the development company’s U.S. operation, Carma Colorado. “Most people think of the area east of Denver as flat, but this piece of property has over 200 vertical-feet of fall from one end to the other. It’s bisected with drainage ways and was covered with more than 2000 Ponderosa pine trees” In fact, the tree population is significantly higher since development began in 1999. Not only did the developer put a high priority on retaining the old-growth stands of trees, but more than 5,000 new trees have been incorporated into the project. Primarily a mixed-use, residential community of approximately 965 acres, Tallyn’s Reach is planned to contain over 2,000 residences, two elementary schools, a 77,000-square-foot, regional police/fire/library complex, neighborhood commercial and retail development, and close to 300 acres of parks and open space. The development offers a wide range of housing types including apartments, starter homes, first-time move up and custom homes that provide a diverse range of home prices that result in a mix of income and buyer demographics within the community. Development is near completion. Upon full build out, it will preserve the vast majority of the indigenous Ponderosa Pine trees, some of which are more than 200 years old. Extensive planning and preservation techniques were used to identify and integrate existing trees into the surrounding development. There was also significant effort to maintain the native terrain and water resources. Walkable, self-contained neighborhoods offer residents plentiful open space with pedestrian and bicycle-trail connections to schools, community meeting spaces, day care facilities, pools, parks and other amenities. With a stated commitment to environmentally-friendly development, and the adage, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children,” the developer supports green building, Smart Growth and lowimpact development. The approach has served the developer well, even in a down market, and price points ranging from $250,000 to $1 million. “We’re down to about three parcels of land, one is a multi-family piece, the other two are custom-lot pieces,” Morton said. “Our builders have had over 64 sales to date this year, which in this market, at the price point we’re at, is testament to the project that it is.” Tree Ordinance Trained as a landscape architect, Morton came to the project as Carma’s only employee in its only office in the U.S. when the land was purchased. One of the knocks against many Denver-area developments was that they created a “sea of roof tops,” primarily due to relatively flat topography and lack of trees. Tallyn’s Reach would be the exception. “We started by basically saying, ‘All trees are sacred. We’re going to start by making those off limits,’” Morton said. “Our senior management, based in Calgary, recognized from day one that this was a special site.” A tree mitigation ordinance evolved during the course of the two-year entitlement process, which found favor with city officials. This resulted in the preservation of more than 99 percent of existing trees during construction. Any tree damaged or lost during construction was replaced by the builder. Not only did this preserve the existing trees, but it helped reforest parts of the old growth portions that were damaged from farming and other agricultural activity. 12 November/December 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008

Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 Contents Our Voice Editorial Board SLDT Resources The BottomLine Go Forth and Tread Lightly on the Land It’s About Name Recognition Managing Risk in the Sustainable Building Frontier Industry Spotlight Achieving Sustainable Land Development Worthy of Recognition Stormwater Wastewater Erosion Control Innovation Classifieds Advertiser Index Last Word

Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008

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