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Looking toward a rural future
<br />sign expert discusses ways farms & subdivisions can coexist
<br />development more attractive
<br />toy000 sq Pr
<br />and residential subdivi-
<br />s
<br />acre lots rather than sprawling two, three
<br />For these kinds of develop-
<br />Farrnlmd
<br />sions need not be mutually
<br />or four acre home sites. He said although
<br />of an area, told the crowd of more than
<br />exclusive. In fact, open fields,
<br />some people associate this kind of
<br />creeks and woodlots can add the kind of
<br />"cluster h ous_in�g" with overcrowding and
<br />monetary and cultural value to an area
<br />lack^ o� pnouvacy, if done right these kinds
<br />that large lawns never will, said the
<br />of developments can offer a ' eher
<br />keynote speaker at the Oct. 4 Landmark
<br />Juality of life than traditional projects. He
<br />Series lecture in St. Paul, Minn.
<br />showed slides of housing developments
<br />"I think there's something tremen-
<br />that had tossed out designs based on the
<br />dously wrong in our society when the
<br />grid system of planning along straight
<br />only thing we can get out of a subdivision
<br />lines, and instead identified natural areas
<br />is house lots and streets," Randall Arendt,
<br />present and built around them, using
<br />a nationally recognized expert on
<br />trees, fields and streams as boundaries.
<br />designing residential communities that
<br />Ian one Pennsylvania county. a devel-
<br />integrity of the area. Before progressive
<br />oper took a 300 -acre farm and
<br />only cleveioped lialt of it by
<br />building quarter -acre lots. He
<br />called the development "Farm
<br />View" and the homes soon
<br />outsold those on a neighboring
<br />ZP
<br />evelo�ment that was based
<br />sprawling one -acre lots.
<br />A Wisconsin ho—m--e—b-7rer
<br />has declined to construct
<br />homes on the banks of a river.
<br />Those properties would have
<br />sold for a great deal of money,
<br />but once the river front
<br />property was gone, only those
<br />lucky early buyers would have
<br />access to the waterway.
<br />Instead, he built the homes
<br />away from the river, leaving its
<br />banks accessible to everyone.
<br />In the end, that general
<br />A sketch in Arendr's book, Connecticut River Design accessibility made the overall
<br />Manual for Conservation and Development,
<br />development more attractive
<br />showing development that preserves open spaces. and valuable to home buyers,
<br />said Arendt.
<br />For these kinds of develop-
<br />preserve the rural and ecological inte;n y
<br />ments to become more common, several
<br />of an area, told the crowd of more than
<br />ngs must happen said a author of
<br />300 people. The lecture was presented by
<br />more an pu lications, including
<br />the Land Stewardship Project's 1000
<br />Rural by Design: Maintaining Small
<br />Friends of Minnesota.
<br />Town Character, ap;ii Designing Open
<br />Arendt, who is vice president of
<br />Space Subdivisio First of all, local
<br />Conservation Programs for the Pennsyl-
<br />units of government must set maximum
<br />vania -based Natural Lands Trust, said
<br />lot sizes so that developers are not
<br />increasingly developers across the
<br />tempted to fill space inefficiently. In a
<br />country are recognizing that people move
<br />metropolitan area, those lot sizes should
<br />into an area for more than "lawns too
<br />be one acre or less, in rural areas, aone-
<br />large to mow and too small to p ow
<br />home - per -40 -acre limit would be more
<br />Homeowners like to be next to farm
<br />desirable to maintain the farming
<br />S, woodlands an o en areas, a said.
<br />integrity of the area. Before progressive
<br />o provide those areas, deve opers
<br />zoning ordinances can be passed,
<br />most bLuld the homes in more compact
<br />however, communities must see what will
<br />spaces, opting, for example, for quarter- happen if inefficient growth continues.
<br />Arendt often does this by drawing up
<br />maps for communities based on current
<br />zoning laws and extrapolating into the
<br />future. These "coming attractions" maps
<br />help communities envision what will
<br />happen to their open spaces if they
<br />continue to allow sprawling development
<br />to occur.
<br />In addition, engineers, developers and
<br />landscape architects must work together
<br />as teams to create these developments.
<br />Local governments, housing associations
<br />and even private, nonprofit groups such
<br />as land trusts must work together to
<br />preserve and manage the open spaces and
<br />farmlands in the vicinity of these devel-
<br />opments.
<br />"You need a combination of creative
<br />and engineering skills," he said. "Engi-
<br />neers can't expect to practice landscape
<br />architecture."
<br />Finally, communities must be identi-
<br />fied that are willing to experiment with
<br />these kinds of developments so that
<br />models can be set up for others to look at
<br />and learn from, said Arendt.
<br />A model in the making
<br />At a LSP's 1000 Friends of Minnesota
<br />workshop following Arendt's talk,
<br />participants talked about the need for a
<br />model community in the Twin Cities area.
<br />Local developer Robert Engstrom
<br />presented information on a proposal he
<br />has brought before city officials in Lake
<br />Elmo, Minn., for just such a model
<br />project.
<br />If approved, the development would
<br />involve building homes on half of a 226 -
<br />acre farm and using conservation
<br />easements to preserve the other half
<br />permanently. Engstrom said he hopes to
<br />encourage the establishment of natural
<br />prairie and alternative farming enterprises
<br />such as community supported agriculture
<br />on the undeveloped part of the property.
<br />"I think timing is everything," said
<br />Engstrom. "There is a citizenry that wants
<br />a diversity of housing and wants to
<br />preserve the rural life - style." O
<br />• . •
<br />The Landmark Series is a public affairs fo-
<br />rum presented by Minnesota Landmarks, in as-
<br />sociation with the Saint Paul League of Women
<br />Voters. For information on obtaining a VHS tape
<br />of Arendt s talk, call (612) 292 -3285.
<br />The Arendt program was supported by: St.
<br />Paul Companies, Northwest Area Foundation,
<br />Saint Paul Pioneer Press, US West, Citizens
<br />League, Keystone Productions, Saint Paul Foun-
<br />dation, Minneapolis Foundation and Emma B.
<br />Howe Memorial Foundation.
<br />The Land Stewardship Letter 7
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