| |
|
Black Forest on Lake James |
Located on the north shore of Lake James, immediately east of the North
Branch of the Catawba River, Black Forest is a mixture of housing,
recreation, and nature preserve set on 609 acres in northwestern North
Carolina near Marion. Audubon International’s goal in working with
Crescent Resources on this property was to preserve its natural
communities of plants and wildlife and to buffer the Pisgah National
Forest to the north from development pressures. In addition, Audubon
International worked to protect the numerous aquatic resources of the
property, including Lake James shoreline, the Catawba River, and the
upland stream systems that drain the property.
The name of the
community was inspired by the character of the property itself, which
resembles the Black Forest in Germany. It served as the natural setting
for the filming of the Last of the Mohicans. Black Forest’s 56 private
lot preserves range in size from three to 21 acres and are either
riverfront or lakefront, many with dramatic views of the Blue Ridge
Mountains and Pisgah National Forest.
A major natural
feature of the Black Forest site is the floodplain forest along the
North Branch of the Catawba River. To protect these piedmont and
Appalachian floodplain communities and other ecological features,
roadways were constructed with no curbs or gutters, and vegetated swales
were used to direct flow away from the roads. The maximum amount of
imperious surface allowed for each lot is 7% of the total lot area. To
limit the extent of disturbance, the maximum disturbed area for each lot
is limited to 14% of the total lot area. To limit erosion hazards and
create unsightly cuts into the landscape, slopes equal to or greater
than 35% are not disturbed. A 100-foot setback vegetative buffer is
being provided around the periphery of the project along the James
shoreline. All parking lots are pervious surfaces, as are trails and
driveways to camps.
On July 6, 2006, Black Forest was
certified as the first Gold Signature Sanctuary in the western North
Carolina mountains. For more information about Black Forest on Lake
James, please visit its website at www.blackforest.com |
Pinehurst Centennial #8 |
The sandhill uplands of Moore County in south central North
Carolina provide the setting for the 350-acre eighth Certified Audubon
Signature Cooperative Sanctuary. Pinehurst Centennial # 8 is
flanked by colorful wetlands that highlight such plants as switch cone,
American spikenard, and sweet pepperbush. Wildlife includes
red-tailed hawk, box turtle, cottonmouth, and pine barrens tree frog.
The 18-hole golf course is among the first courses in the United States
to become involved in the United States Fish and Wildlife Services’
“Safe Harbor Program.” The Safe Harbor Program is aimed at
protecting endangered species through agreements between government and
private landowners that provide greater land management flexibility
overall in return for specific protective measures. In this case,
the red-cockaded woodpecker is a federally listed endangered species and
is endemic to the pine forest of the southeastern United States.
Pinehurst # 8 became the first Certified Audubon Signature Cooperative
Sanctuary in North Carolina on March 31, 1998.
See more of Pinehurst #8 at www.pinehurst.com |
The Palisades |
The Palisades is a 1,600-acre mixed-used community comprised of golf,
residential, and commercial activity being built along Lake Wylie near
Charlotte, North Carolina. Lake Wylie is the largest and oldest of four
lakes on the Catawba River, which supplies much of the drinking water to
more than 700,000 residents of Mecklenburg County. Therefore, water
quality protection measures have featured prominently in the project’s
design, construction, and management.
In addition to the
required 50-foot undisturbed vegetative buffer adjacent to the shoreline
of lower Lake Wylie and tributary streams, an additional 50 feet of
undisturbed vegetative buffer has been added to protect water quality.
The Palisades’ Water Quality Plan requires that The Palisades’ residents
minimize the use of pesticides, herbicides, and dangerous nutrients that
can be transported via irrigation or storm water runoff.
Developed by Rhein Medall
Communities, the project’s estimated build-out is 2,400 residential
units. Residents have the option to choose homes built to Energy Star
standards by two of the project’s custom builders, Regal Custom Home
Builders and Beacon Builders. To provide wildlife corridors, every lot
has a tree protection area of 35 feet in the rear setback of the lot and
each neighborhood has its own park. Over thirty percent of the land is
dedicated to open space, parks, trails, and the 18-hole Jack
Nicklaus-designed golf course, built and owned by Blythe Construction
Inc. Only 65 acres of the 185-acre golf course is irrigated. On July
5, 2006, The Palisades Phase I residential and the golf club became the
first golf community in North Carolina to become certified as a Gold
Signature Sanctuary. To see more of The Palisades, visit its web site
at www.thepalisades.info |
The Sanctuary |
The Sanctuary, located in North Carolina along seven miles of quiet
northern shoreline of Lake Wylie, is situated on topography typical of
the Piedmont area of North Carolina, with its ridges and valleys.
Just outside Charlotte, the 1,348-acre property boasts only 189
homesites, with 80% of the property left undisturbed and 215 acres in
common open space. Crescent Communities created a plan calling for a
200-foot-wide conservation corridor, or lakefront setback, which is four
times the county requirement. Lots range in size from two to more than
13 acres, with an average size of five acres. Audubon International
worked with Crescent to customize a “development envelope” for each of
these "private preserve" lots, designating areas for the main house,
detached guest house, and smaller buildings. All vegetation outside the
development envelope will be preserved with no clearing and minimal
pruning. The sales center is typical of the homes that will be built.
In place of a manicured lawn is a grove of mature trees. The structure
blends into the surroundings through the use of stone, wood, and trim
in earth tone colors. Environmentally desirable materials used in the
sales center include such things as: framing material purchased from
renewable resource lumber farms; truss-joist floor joints consisting of
recycled materials; Oriented Strand Board (OSB) used for exterior and
roof sheathing; recycled material used in subflooring; wall insulation
made from recycled paper (cellulose); hot water circulating system
which supplies “on demand” hot water; carpet made from recycled soda
containers; a driveway made of a pervious concrete pavement to minimize
storm-water runoff that could cause erosion and pollute the lake; a rain
garden in the center of the cul de sac of the driveway that will
treat/filter the water before it enters the stormwater system. Total
denuded area of each preserve is no more than 15%, with the total
maximum impervious cover on each "private preserve" lot as 12%. The
Sanctuary was designated as the first Gold Signature Sanctuary in the
state of North Carolina on September 1, 2004. Visit The Sanctuary at www.thesanctuary-crescent.com |
|
