CONSERVATION SUBDIVISIONS
GOOD FOR THE LAND, GOOD FOR THE POCKETBOOK
By Steve Wright
Conservation Subdivisions don’t work everywhere. Dense urban areas or regions boxed in by oceans, mountains or other extreme boundaries -- such as Florida’s Everglades – simply do not have the large tracts of land required.
While Conservation Subdivisions offer prices in the mid-range, rarely are they good sites for affordable housing because they are located far from urban job centers and their amenities. Their relatively low densities compared to the central city densities make it difficult to offer low cost housing that requires many units on land acquired as cheaply as possible.
Keefe said there are challenges to luring even people that are in the market for developments that conserve last tracks of land.
“Conservation Subdivisions can be difficult to sell in the early stages. Prairie restorations look terrible for the first two years while the grasses are being established,” he said. “The construction traffic and excavation work takes away from the peaceful natural setting. Like any new subdivision it’s hard to visualize how the homes will relate to each other before construction begins. Realtors have to be very good at painting a picture of the completed project and selling the lifestyle vision to the prospective buyers.”
Tryon developer Eve Noonan said resales are strong in her Michigan City, Indiana Conservation Subdivision, so homeowners benefit by buying a site surrounded by preserved land and developers benefit by saving site grading and infrastructure costs.
“I think in lots of ways, we have found out financially that this kind of development can be very, very successful,” she said. “That is good news not just for everybody’s pocketbooks but also good news for Mother Nature.”
TOMORROW: Benefits of Conservation Subdivision design
Wright frequently writes about smart growth and sustainable communities. He and his wife live in a restored historic home in the heart of Miami’s Little Havana. Contact him at: stevewright64@yahoo.com
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