"Touch the Land Lightly"

An ALTERNATE APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT

Development of land is inherently destructive, but ultimately necessary for growth. Balancing our need to grow and build with protecting the environment is important everywhere, but of paramount importance in areas that have as much biodiversity and critical functions to our ecosystem that we experience in Coastal Eastern North Carolina. Our environmental sensitivity in construction protects not only the environment, but what draws people to the area – its beaches, fishing, hunting, marsh views, and animal interactions.

Site Plan

7 lots: 6 Homesites, 1 Shared Community Space

• Lot 1: 117.74' of waterfront, 1.283 acres
• Lot 2: 141.96' of waterfront, 1.436 acres
• Lot 3: Shared Community Space
  (gardens, swings, etc.)
• Lot 4: waterview, 0.931 acres
• Lot 5: waterview / forest backyard, 0.80 acres
• Lot 6: pine forested lot, 0.65 acres
• Lot 7: pine forested lot, 0.71 acres

Amenities

An entry that has been chiseled away around the trees bringing you back to what driving into an eastern North Carolina pine forest felt like 100 years ago, a nature trail, a shared day dock with water access and a shared community lot.

2Kings wanted to find a different approach to how we develop land. The current land development model clear-cuts the old growth trees and shapes the land to maximize the lot count and profitability. After the roads, curb and gutters, and retention ponds are installed, new trees are often re-planted where they are most convenient. Maybe 60 years from now they will look mature and be able to support all the nature that was displaced or destroyed in the process. Not to mention that the hydrology has changed radically on the site with all the concrete that was placed down, often shedding the water too quickly in large rain events, such as tropical storms and hurricanes, thereby becoming a problem for either the locality to deal with at the public street or people downstream on the rivers and water bodies. This is the how and why that is causing our flood levels to increase so rapidly thereby making it more expensive and dangerous to own homes in the area.

By utilizing permeable surfaces, cutting down as few trees as possible, and letting the land function as it always has, we can minimize the impacts of residential development – not eliminate, but minimize. At the end of the day development will happen, but encouraging developers to minimize their impacts to the environment actually benefits us greatly. Leaving large, old growth trees benefits the aesthetics of the development. How many people have seen a brand-new development with a bunch of small, newly planted saplings and said, wow that is beautiful. The increased aesthetics translates into faster sales for the developer and more built houses, which helps the developer as well as the local government with increased tax revenue. 

Typical Land Development

• Maximize Profit to Developer - results in as many possible lots to spread development costs
• Clear cut lot - remove all vegetation, shape earth, and lay concrete road and pipe
• Replant landscaping around new homes

Pros:

• Maximizes horizontal development profits and therefore is available to more land developers.
• Construction is much easier as sub-contractors are able to quickly get rid of vertical impediments (trees), not worry about environmental factors other than erosion control, and speeds up construction as each trade is dealing with a familiar pallet.

Cons:

• Development does not typically take into account surrounding context.
• Site is designed around fitting in as many lots as possible, ease of laying sewer, and watershed requirements.
• Urban design is not primary consideration - how space is used, interaction between structures, communal uses.
• This yields very homogeneous construction practices and tends to be the least aesthetic approach.
• Creates urban city street repetition. Limits architectural design on new houses as the site repetition creates homes that must all face same direction and limits site consideration. This is not a problem in a more urban setting, but in a suburban condition this can yield monotonous results.

2Kings Development Approach:
Design-Build Development

• Considers urban design as well as financial returns to create highest and best use.
• Existing site conditions are utilized to allow both horizontal and vertical development to more seamlessly fit into site context.

Cons:

• Longer sub-division process as the development must meet both the standards of the municipality as well as the underlying site conditions.
• Most sub-contractors are more comfortable with the clear-cut methodology, thereby complicating site management and cost analysis.
• One entity must be able to understand all factors involved: financial (lending, cost analysis), design (urban and architectural), construction, and sale.

Pros:

• Produces highest and best use.
• Existing land is touched as lightly as possible, removing and reshaping as little as possible.
• Utilizes good design practices to create shared spaces that not only benefit future owners, but add to marketability.
• Homes are able to adjust to sight, turning to enjoy water views or nestle into the forest.
• Design yields more attractive product, as the same person is developer, architect, general contractor.
• Profit can be spread across the development, design, and construction , thereby reducing risks and increasing profitability threshold to green light development.