CONSERVATION SUBDIVISIONS
GOOD FOR THE LAND, GOOD FOR THE POCKETBOOK
By Steve Wright
Many successful developers are converts to Conservation Subdivisions. Waukesha, Wisconsin-based Siepmann Realty Corporation has been creating communities that conserve land for more than 40 of its 62 years in business.
When a visitor clicks on Siepmann’s internet homepage, a spinning counter comes to rest on the figure 1,566 – the number of acres of open space preserved in the developer’s conservation communities.
Sugar Creek Preserve, in southeastern Wisconsin, is a Conservation Subdivision of 52 homesites situated on 260 pristine acres in Walworth County’s Sugar Creek Valley. Its creators are development consultant Siepmann Realty, landowner Keefe Real Estate, developer Red Wing Land Company and land planner Greener Prospects – Arendt’s company.
More than 170 acres are permanently preserved open space marked by restored prairie, hardwood forests, a stream, a lake and 4.5 miles of walking trails. Lot sizes are large, starting at just more than one acre selling for $110,000 and ranging up to four acres, priced at $300,000.
“Realtors selling Conservation Subdivision homesites must sell the community and environment first, the specific lot second. It is important to frame the lot purchase differently than a regular lot and block subdivision. At Sugar Creek Preserve we tell buyers that they aren’t buying one acre lots, they are buying a 176 acre lot, of which they have one acre to build on,” said Rob Keefe of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin-based Keefe Real Estate.
TOMORROW: Conservation Subdivision challenges
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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