ConservationCommunity

Why should we be concerned about landconservation—protecting farmland, naturalareas, and green vistas? Preserving thesespaces protects streams and water quality,provides habitat, preserves rural atmosphere,provides recreational areas, protects home andcommunity values, and reduces costs ofmunicipal services.

Conservation communities involve small butsignificant changes to the subdivision designthat encourage the preservation of open spacesand protect an interconnected network ofconservation lands. Developers can easilybecome a community’s leading conservationists,as each new subdivision adds another link to anarea-wide open space system. Conservationsubdivision design is not only fair to developers,it actually enhances the value of development.

Studies comparing developments built accordingto conservation design principles with thosefollowing more conventional, land consumptivelayouts show that houses tend to sell faster andreal estate values appreciate more withconservation design.

Conservation subdivisions make it easier formunicipalities to implement community-widegreenway plans, which may depend ondevelopers to provide critical links alongparticular stream valleys or hilltop ridges.*

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Suburban Conservation Community, Rural Bennington

The focus of this charrette is Northwest Douglas County, asite bounded on the north by State Highway 36, on theeast by 192nd Street, by Bennington Road on the south andState Highway 31 to the west.

Site Conditions

The area is quite hilly with woodlands that follow deep,natural drainage ways cut into deep clay soils fed by anannual rainfall of approximately 27-30 inches. Drainage isfrom the southwest to the north and east. Two visibleculverts deliver run-off to the area from the south underBennington Road, another drains the area at the northwestcorner under Highway 36, while two other culverts under192nd Street drain the eastern portion of the site. There isone small made-made lake near 192nd Streetapproximately one-fourth mile north of Bennington Roadand another at the southwest corner of the long 80bordering 192nd Street and Highway 36.

Land Uses

The primary land use is agriculture with corn, soybeansand alfalfa as the main crops. One 80-acre farm producescertified Biodynamic (organic) vegetables and small grains.Horses are trained on a smaller parcel while housingdevelopments are located to the East across 192nd Streetand to the Southwest across Bennington Road. A newhousing development may be planned within the studyarea near Bennington Road.

Key Players

A key stakeholder is Jim Steffen, whose parents live on the80-acre farm in the northeast corner of Section 7. They arelooking for ways to develop this property and continue tofarm it in the most efficient and profitable manner.

They would also like to increase the acreage devoted towoods and wildlife. This means that any residential or lightcommercial development, such as a restaurant, officespace or private educational center would be designedaround the farm and its natural spaces.

Mr. Steffen has developed some of these ideas into apreliminary plan with Cecil Steward of the Joslyn CastleInstitute for Sustainable Communities (JCI).

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State and County Roads

State Highway 36 will be widened to four lanes, howeverthe construction schedule has not been determined. Nochanges are planned for the other roads serving theproject area. Highway 31 is two lanes of concrete with wideshoulders; Bennington Road is a narrow two lanes with nocurbs, frequent drop-offs and limited shoulders; 192nd

Street has a gravel surface with a one-lane, low weightbridge to the south near Bennington Road. DouglasCounty maintains Bennington Road and 192nd Street.

Water and Wastewater

No public water or wastewater services are available to thestudy area. Private wells and septic systems serve allhomes in the immediate area. The residents of a newdevelopment immediately across 192nd Street and south ofHighway 36 share a common well as do the residents of anolder development located just south and east of theintersection of 192nd Street and Military Road.

Recycling and Solid Waste Collection

Several competing firms collect solid wastes. There are noorganized residential or commercial recycling services.

Utilities

Quest Communication provides telephone services via two50-pair copper cables. No cable television services areavailable. The Omaha Public Power District provideselectric services the area.

Schools

Students from kindergarten through grade twelve areserved by the Bennington School District.

Law Enforcement and Fire Protection

The Douglas County Sheriff provides law enforcement.Fire protection is by the Bennington Volunteer Fire Dept.

Regulatory Authority & Issues

Douglas County is responsible for rural planning, permitsand inspections. No environmental hazards or regulatoryissues are known. Regulatory authorities and owners of animplement dealership near the southwest corner arediscussing a catch basin for equipment wash water.

Pratt farmstead, rural Bennington,circa 1900.

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Conservation design differs in several significant waysfrom the more familiar “cluster development” approach.Under conservation design principles, full density isachievable only when at least 50 percent of potentiallybuildable land is set aside. This compares with clusterprovisions that frequently require only 25 to 30 percent ofthe gross land area to be conserved. Moreover, withcluster development this open space is often comprised ofleft over, undesirable areas.*

Prairie Crossing, a Model Community

A good example of a successful conservation developmentis Prairie Crossing, located near Chicago.

Ten important principles established by the community'sfounders have guided Prairie Crossing since its inception.Together, these principles provide the framework for a wayof life that respects the environment and enables residentsto experience a strong connection between community andthe land.**

1. Environmental protection and enhancementPrairie Crossing's land was purchased to safeguard itsopen spaces. 350 of its acres are legally protected fromdevelopment. Prairie Crossing is part of the Liberty PrairieReserve, over 5,000 acres of publicly and privately heldland that includes nature and forest preserves, farms andtrails. At Prairie Crossing itself, greenways have beenconstructed and houses placed to protect the environment,native vegetation and wildlife of the Midwest.

2. A healthy lifestyleMore than ten miles of trails, a stable, and a large lake withbeach and dock provide opportunities for healthy outdoorexercise. The farm supplies fresh organic vegetables,flowers, and fruits to the community. Individual gardenplots are available at a small cost. Lake Forest Hospitalhas built a new facility at Prairie Crossing.

3. A sense of placePrairie Crossing is squarely rooted in its central LakeCounty location. Landscape and architecture are inspiredby the prairies, marshes, and farms of the area. Streets arenamed after prairie plants and early settlers whofrequented the site. A palette of rich house colors derivesfrom the warm tones of the native landscape. Thecommunity buildings - an historic barn, a schoolhouse, anda farmhouse - remind residents that others have lived onthis land before, and that others, to whom we haveresponsibility, will live here after us.

prairiecrossing

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4. A sense of communityIn the belief that community and conservation can go handin hand, the trails and gardens of Prairie Crossing aredesigned to be places where people can meet to enjoy andcare for the land. The Homeowners Association has takenresponsibility for the community amenities, design review,and other aspects of community life at Prairie Crossing.Volunteer stewardship activities are organized by theLiberty Prair ie Conservancy, which conductsenvironmental programs throughout the Liberty PrairieReserve. From the outset Prairie Crossing has sought towork collaboratively with its neighbors, seeking to achieveunusual synergies with homeowner associations, publicofficials, and local businesses.

5. Economic and racial diversityPrairie Crossing welcomes residents of all races. Itsfounders believe that a mix of incomes and races isessential to the future of our society. They have attemptedto keep costs and prices down so that some homes will bewithin the range of families needing affordable housing inLake County.

6. Convenient and efficient transportationPrairie Crossing is approximately an hour from Chicago bytrain or car. There is rail service to Chicago and O'HareAirport from two stations adjoining the site. PrairieCrossing lies within a triangle of three major roads: Routes45, 137, and 120. Trails lead to the train station, theCollege of Lake County, the University Center of LakeCounty, the Liberty Prairie Reserve, Grayslake HighSchool, and local stores and restaurants.

7. Energy conservationHomes at Prairie Crossing have been constructed withtechniques that reduce energy consumption byapproximately 50 percent in comparison to new homes inthe area. Community-wide recycling and compostingprograms are in effect. Prairie Crossing is designed toencourage walking and biking as alternatives to short tripsby automobile. A wind turbine provides power to the farm.The new buildings of the Prairie Crossing Charter Schoolare designed to Leadership in Energy and EnvironmentalDesign (LEED) standards.

8. Lifelong learning and educationThe Prairie Crossing Charter School offers elementaryeducation based on an environmental curriculum tochildren from two local school districts.

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Informal learning takes place at the Liberty PrairieConservancy, the Prairie Crossing Institute, the Farm andthe Byron Colby Barn community center. A college anduniversity center are both located within two miles.

9. Aesthetic design and high-quality constructionProfessionals who are highly accomplished in their fieldshave been responsible for land planning and architecture.High standards of design and execution throughout PrairieCrossing are a priority. Prairie Crossing has receivednational attention for its beauty and design that combinestown and landscape planning.

10. Economic viabilityPrairie Crossing is being developed by families who wishto see the conservation community concept replicatedelsewhere. They have made every effort to ensure that theproject is economically feasible and have carefullybudgeted for long-term success.

Regional Challenges

Several regional challenges face this and other charrettelocations in Nebraska’s urban metroplex:

Critical ecological systems are in path of rapid growth.

Economic growth will not occur without attention toquality of life and the environment.

The region’s most valuable natural resources (water,wind, fertile soils, a 4-season solar climate) underutilized.

There is no shared vision of preferred regional growthpatterns or land use policies.

Municipal and county governments have very different,conflicting approaches to planning and public policies.

Water resources are uneven in quality/quantity.

Infrastructure is lagging behind growth pressures.

Agricultural and urban growth interests are in conflict.

Region does not see itself as a unit of commoneconomic interests; competitive tensions exist betweencommunities and threaten growth.

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Seeking Solutions

Solutions for any community in the Metroplex begin with adefinition of that community and what it wishes to preserve,build upon, or change. What you may discover is that long-term, sustainable solutions are not possible without firstacknowledging that all communities in the region, largeand small, rural and urban, share a common fate.

Cooperation is the key to ensuring adequate and safewater supplies, stewardship of the land, and the sharing ofinfrastructure and technology costs that will be necessaryto ensure steady economic growth and the ability tocompete with other regional economies.

No matter how attractive you make your community, if thecommunity down the road suffers from blight, neglect orpoor planning, your community will also bear those costs inthe long term and see diminishing returns on itsinvestments. When communities share problems as wellas solutions, the benefits for all will be greater.

A culture of cooperation will all ensure that futuregenerations will inherit the Good Life, rather than our debt.

Coordinate planning with othercities, towns and counties in theregion. Conduct regularconferences, meetings, andworkshops for exchange ofinformation and ideas.

Identify and publicize examplesof best practices to be used asmodels for creating healthy andsustainable communities.

Establish a consensus of theregion’s most fragile natural,social and historic environments.Create strategies/mechanisms toprotect these environments.

solutions

Define policies that clarify orlimit acreage development,protect rural lands for foodproduction and natural habitat,

Coordinate reviews of water-related policies to ensureequitable access to clean waterfor agriculture, municipalities,industry and wildlife.

Encourage energyconservation and alternativeenergy production througheffective planning and greenbuilding techniques.

Encourage healthy lifestylesand rich living environments withcompact, walkable communities.

Create food-based, rural/urbancoalitions; foster understanding ofinterdependencies ofcommunities & natural systems.

tip: ideal outcomes should provide

multiple solutions rather than one big

solution; regional significance will be

discovered through a multitude of

potential concepts that make your

charrette site more livable, sustainable,

and environmentally appropriate.

* Introduction derived from Growing Greener: conservationsubdivision design by Randall Arendt**Materials and color images (except windmills) fromprairiecrossing.com

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Environmental

Social/Cultural

Technological

Economic

Public Policy

5 domainschecklist

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1. What was the most positive aspect of the workshop inyour opinion?

2. If this workshop were to be held again, what threechanges would you suggest to make it more effective?

3. Was the time for the workshop too short, too long, orjust right?

4. What do you see as an immediate action item you canundertake in terms of sustainability after participating inthis workshop?

5. Should any topics have been added to the charrette? 5.

6. What additional training would be useful to you?

7. Other comments?

Name (Optional)

charretteevaluation