CONSERVATION COMMUNITIES

ULI Technical Assistance Panel Recommendations

Created for

Created by

May 2014

ORANGE COUNTY

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ContentsExecutive Summary 5

Introduction 7 Conservation Communities 9 Transect Zones 10 Existing Conditions 11 Project Objectives 13 Methodology 14 TAP Panelists 14

Recommendations 17

Next Steps 21

Appendix A: Biographies 23Appendix B: Conservation Communities 29Appendix C: Maps 41

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The world was a very different place when Orange County’s zoning ordinance was adopted almost 50 years ago. In 1965, the City of Orlando was about to celebrate its centennial as the county seat. Orange County was home to the Orlando Army Air Base, which three years later would be transferred to the Navy; and to the former Pine Castle Army Air Field, which had been renamed McCoy Air Force Base and would eventually become Orlando International Airport.

Orange County was considered a support site for Kennedy Space Center in neighboring Brevard County, where the fledgling U.S. space program was taking shape and preparing to send man to the moon. Orange County was home to a plant of aircraft, missile and rocket manufacturer Martin Marietta, which would sell off some of its land to what would become the Orange County Convention Center and Universal Studios theme park.

In 1965, Florida Technological University, which would later be renamed the University of Central Florida and grow to the nation’s second-largest university today, had been authorized by the Florida Legislature and was in the planning stages to open in 1968. Walt Disney World was still six years in the future. Today’s downtown Orlando skyline that is dotted with nearly 20 skyscrapers was still years away.

In 1980, in order to manage the unprecedented growth and development in Orange County and the related cost of providing urban services, the county was divided into an Urban Service Area (USA) and a Rural Service Area (RSA). Those designations were reaffirmed in 1985, when the county adopted a mandated Local Government Comprehensive Plan.

Since that time, the USA and RSA designations have served Orange County well as growth management tools. However, there has been continued pressure to move the urban boundary. In many if not most cases, the development community has seen the RSA as simply a holding zone used to constrain urban development until the necessary services are available and the market demand for new housing and related development pushes the boundary further out.

Executive Summary

Source: Google Maps

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In order to make the RSA more definitive and to establish a development pattern that creates a true rural edge, Orange County is considering the establishment of “conservation communities.” These communities could provide a more logical transition from urban to rural and would help to establish a more efficient pattern for development permitted in the rural service area, using compact communities surrounded by connected open space for constraining urban growth.

A conservation community focuses on maintaining and even enhancing the integrity of the land, with homes developed around open space and ecological features such as forests, farms, ranchland and communal gardens. This type of development does best when it’s at the edge but within reasonably close proximity to a thriving major metropolitan area.

Randall ArendtPresident, Greener Prospects

In exploring this proposed use, planners enlisted the help of the Urban Land Institute, which gathered a technical assistance panel (TAP) to evaluate whether conservation communities would work as a means of reinforcing the smooth transition between rural and urban development in Orange County. The TAP was sponsored by Pennsylvania-based luxury homebuilders Toll Brothers. The panel had numerous recommendations regarding how Orange County could apply the concept of conservation communities. Details of those recommendations are the subject of this report and include the following:

1. Staff recommends a minimum acreage requirement of 500. 2. Minimum requirement of 50 percent open space.3. Minimum lot sizes.4. Wetlands could be counted as a percentage of an open space requirement where they

are amenitized.5. Create incentives for greater density development,6. Requirement of certain healthy community design components,7. Limited neighborhood commercial development should be permitted in conservation

communities. 8. Particular agriculture and recreational uses should be permitted. 9. Create a conservation easement. 10. Staff encourages a rural road design. Curb and gutter linking to on-site stormwater

infrastructure are an option, however, not required.11. Conservation subdivisions can be a new land use designation or addressed by current

code.

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Orange County’s challenge for the next three years, as it amends its comprehensive plan for growth to meet a 2016 deadline, is to continue battling the national phenomenon that has negatively been referred to as “urban sprawl.” As residents seek lower-priced alternatives to living downtown, they look to the outskirts, where suburbs of previous decades have offered them close proximity to job and city amenities with a short commute.

But now that vehicles are clogging the roadways between downtowns and suburban developments, Orlando and other metropolitan areas are looking to ease the pain of the traffic jam by introducing alternatives such as Central Florida’s new SunRail commuter rail and longtime LYNX bus systems. Meanwhile, they’re determining how they can incentivize the right types of development patterns that encourage people to either take advantage of public transportation or to live, work and play in those outlying areas so some of them can avoid the commute altogether.

In recent years, Central Florida has gravitated toward “town center” developments that include houses, townhomes, condominiums, apartments, restaurants, entertainment, public parks, retail, and firms that offer professional services in areas such as law, healthcare, architecture, insurance and marketing. Orange County and Orlando have refined this concept in Baldwin Park and Avalon Park, which offer a small-town feel with public green space between different parts of the community.

But as the TAP pointed out, not everyone wants to live in a townhouse. Some people prefer a larger piece of property. They like to wake up in the morning and look out over a horse pasture, vegetable crops, or a forest. For these residents, a community that feels more rural than living downtown but more urban than operating a farm is the perfect compromise. Harmony in Osceola County near St. Cloud is one example.

County planners and the TAP were careful to describe the proposed conservation community concept as more than just a cluster of houses on a manufactured green space. Many people who live on golf courses don’t golf, they said. These residents are looking to live on land that is green and lush and never intended for

Introduction

Source: Google Earth

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development. For them, a community that offers green space for walking, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, and maybe even kayaking and canoeing on a waterway would be ideal.

To add conservation communities as an amendment to the county’s land development code, Orange County is challenged to come up with guidelines that are predictable but flexible. Conservation communities, by their very nature, can’t be guided by the “one size fits all” standards of other zoning approaches such as those for rural settlements.

But how can the county develop these guidelines? The TAP considered this question.

To successfully develop a conservation community, the experts said, developers and government planners first need to identify the “green” area first. Is it a pasture, a forest, or the shoreline of a creek? Can the surrounding land be developed into something that feels like a quaint older neighborhood with tree-lined sidewalks and peaceful streets?

And what other buildings need to be there besides homes? County planners and the TAP pointed to the new East End Market in Orlando’s Audubon Park. The two-story co-op features individually operated stalls with locally produced food and beverages, along with gift shops and community activities. It serves as a gathering place for local residents. A business like this one could work in a conservation community, as opposed to the typical convenience stores or even the kinds of mom-and-pop restaurants and shops found in the urban town center developments.

Illustration of Weatherstone by Randall Arendt

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Conservation Communities

In order to provide an overall context for conservation communities, ULI Central Florida enlisted the help of noted author Randall Arendt.

Arendt is well-known in planning circles for his expertise on the conservation community concept. Arendt wrote Rural By Design, a book published by the American Planning Association; and Conservation Design for Subdivisions: A Practical Guide to Creating Open Space Networks and Growing Greener: Putting Conservation into Local Plans and Ordinances, both published by the Natural Lands Trust, the American Planning Association, and the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Arendt outlined a four-step design process that involves locating conservation areas first and then developing communities around them. This way, he said, the conservation areas don’t come off as an afterthought.

The concept has worked in other places, and Arendt discussed some of them in a slideshow presentation. Conservation communities have been created featuring everything from mountain vistas to freshwater lakes, horse stables, working farms and even a Civil War battlefield.

Details about these conservation communities are included in Appendix B to this report.

•Weatherstone in the West Vincent Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. • Tryon Farm in Michigan City, Indiana.• Indian Walk in Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.• Farmview in Lower Makefield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.• Prairie Crossing in Grayslake, Illinois.•The Ponds at Woodward in Kennett Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.•The Fields of St. Croix in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.• Paternal Gift Farm in Howard County, Maryland.• Farmcolony near Stanardsville in Greene County, Virginia.•The Fields at Cold Harbor in Hanover County, Virginia.• Birch Hollow Hamlet and Dobbins Creek Hamlet, both in Loudoun County, Virginia.• Santa Lucia Preserve in Monterrey County, California.

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Transect Zones

During their presentation to the TAP, planners also spoke about the concept of “transect zones,” defined as a conceptual development framework for describing the transitions between regional elements that go from natural to rural to suburban to the most densely urban. The transect is a powerful tool for identifying and establishing appropriate relationships among dissimilar physical and environmental factors.

Alexander Von Humboldt first coined the term transect in the 18th century to describe geographical cross-sections of nature. Planners originally used it to map and analyze different ecological environments such as ocean shores, dunes, wetlands, plains, and uplands or mountains.

Today, New Urbanists use six defined Transect Zones to describe physical characteristics of places with varying density and intensity of Urbanism. Each Transect Zone has unique rules for physical design that address issues such as placement of buildings, streetscape design and setback requirements.

Source: Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company

Transect Zones Diagram

Transect zones T-2 and T-3 appear to be most appropriate for applying the concept of conservation communities.

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Existing Conditions

The TAP was tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of proposed Conservation Communities within existing rural service areas of Orange County (See Apendix C). Some of the land in these areas is under public ownership for preservation and conservation, but other acreage is potentially available for development. Panelists heard about those areas and their potential for accommodating the conservation communities concept:

Area 1: Northwest (Moderate Potential)

With 11,221 acres that are not developed or publicly owned, this area has moderate potential for Conservation Communities. It is characterized by small towns and “old” land-use patterns, rural settlements, and large-scale industrial development. This area includes Tangerine, Zellwood, Clarcona, Lake Apopka farms and indoor foliage businesses. Ecotourism is a draw there, especially along the Wekiva River in the Wekiva Protection Area. The Northwest Rural Service Area is served by longtime arteries State Road 50 and U.S. Highway 441 as well as the newer toll road system that includes State Road 429 and the Wekiva Parkway.

Rural Service Area Acreage (Minus Public Lands)

» Area 1: Northwest – 11,221 » Area 2: Southwest – 6,005 » Area 3: Core – 0

» Area 4: South – 14,651 » Area 5: East – 185 » Area 6: Rural East – 98,270

» Total: 130,332 acres

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Area 2: Southwest (Low Potential)

There are only 6,005 acres in the Southwest Rural Service Area that aren’t publicly owned, making it a less likely place for Conservation Communities. It is characterized by large master-planned communities as well as the Walt Disney World and SeaWorld theme parks, the Orange County Convention Center, a Lockheed Martin compound, and the small town of Windermere – causing the Orange County planning team to name it “Something for Everyone.” The area is served by Florida’s Turnpike and the State Road 429 toll road system as well as connectors to Orlando International Airport.

Area 3: Core (No Potential)

With zero acres for development, the core area of the Orlando metropolitan area includes downtown Orlando, Lake Eola, the Amway Center, and all of the connector roads that carry commerce into and out of the city. It was not part of the discussion for development.

Area 4: South (Low to No Potential)

The South Market Area contains 14,651 acres within the Rural Service Area which could be suitable for Conservation Communities. It is characterized by Orlando International Airport and its support system, including distribution and freight businesses, connector roads, and a new SunRail depot. Much of it is former ranchland. The area is becoming known for the Lake Nona Medical City development, a burgeoning biotech hub that is getting national attention.

Area 5: East (Low Potential)

There is little development potential for the Conservation Community concept in this area, which has only 185 acres of undeveloped land that is not publicly owned. The East Rural Service Area is home to University of Central Florida, Valencia Community College East, Full Sail University, Barry University, and suburban residential and retail developments. It’s known for the UCF Research Park and other business developments that cater to education, high tech, research, and the defense industry. It is served by State Roads 50 and 436.

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Area 6: Rural East (High Potential)

This area holds the highest potential for the Conservation Community concept, with 98,270 acres that are not developed or publicly owned. It is characterized by large land holdings, rural settlements, and agriculture. Fort Christmas, Bithlo and Wedgefield are located here, and the area is focused on preservation because of its proximity to the St. Johns and Econlockhatchee rivers. It is served by State Roads 50 and 528, which carry traffic to and from the Space Coast and Kennedy Space Center.

Project Objectives

The panel of experts with experience in conceptualizing, designing, developing and maintaining conservation communities was created to examine the potential for adding “conservation community” as an appropriate use within the rural service area and to address the performance standards that could be considered for the Orange County Land Development Code.

With regard to these objects, panelists considered these key questions:

1. Should there be a minimum or maximum acreage requirement for developments to be considered for a Conservation Community?

2. What minimum lot sizes and corresponding open space requirements should be considered for a Conservation Community?

3. How much of the open space requirement for a conservation community should be wetlands? Should this figure be allowed to increase based on the quality of the wetlands?

4. Should there be incentives to allow greater density, more wetlands or a reduced open space requirement if the following healthy community design components are included?

a. Stormwater reuse or other water conservation techniques

b. Community gardens

c. Water quality treatment beyond the minimum requirements

d. Community trail system

e. Commitment to construction requirements that result in designation of LEED gold or higher

f. Other considerations

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5. Should neighborhood commercial development be permitted in conservation communities?

6. What provisions need to be addressed to assure that the open space areas are conserved in perpetuity and properly maintained?

7. What uses should be permitted in the conservation areas?

8. Should rural road design standards be maintained throughout the conservation community?

9. Does a conservation subdivision need to be a new future Land Use Designation in the Comprehensive Plan? What type of development standards should form part of this alternative form of development?

10. Are there other issues we should consider based on our discussion today?

Methodology

Each panelist was provided with a briefing book produced by Orange County and the Central Florida ULI District Council. The book included history about the county’s Land Development Code, descriptions of the six rural service areas that could be good locations for conservation communities, and a list of the questions the TAP was tasked with considering.

The TAP was convened for a one-day workshop April 23, 2014, at Leu Gardens in Orlando. Panel members viewed a presentation on conservation communities in other parts of the state and nation and on the objectives for this effort. Then they gathered to discuss and compile their recommendations.

TAP Panelists

The panel consisted of seven professionals with extensive expertise in studying, developing and maintaining the type of conservation community Orange County is considering.

The panelists were:

• Randall Arendt, President, Greener Prospects, Providence, Rhode Island• Greg Golgowski, Conservation Director, Harmony Development Company,

St. Cloud, Florida

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• David Marks, President, Marketplace Advisors, Orlando, Florida• Henry Melendy, Managing Owner, My Yard Farm, Orlando, Florida• John Miklos, President, Bio-Tech Consulting Inc., Orlando, Florida• John Rife, Owner, East End Market, Orlando, Florida• Andre Vidrine, Division Vice President, Toll Brothers, Orlando, Florida

Please refer to Appendix A for biographies of the panelists.

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Illustration by Randall Arendt shows how a trail can connect open spaces to form an amenity system.

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The Technical Assistance Panel focused its recommendations on outlining the type of community that would offer both future developers and residents alike incentives to build and live in a greener community. In order to bring the vision of conservation communities to life in Orange County, panelists asserted the importance of designing these communities with open space requirements in mind from the start, and not simply as an afterthought. While the specifics of some land use percentages and other provisions will ultimately be decided by the county, the preservation and maintenance of large swaths of open space remained a top priority for the TAP.

The following recommendations were made by the Technical Advisory Panel:

1. Staff recommends a minimum acreage requirement of 500. Based on the unique and varying landscape types both adjacent to and far removed from the urban service area, minimum or maximum acreage requirements present an unnecessary barrier to entry for future development of conservation communities. Ultimately, the decision is best made by the county and should be decided during the time of a development proposal.

2. Minimum requirement of 50 percent open space. In order to maintain the environmental integrity that conservation communities represent, a minimum requirement of 50 percent open space for the areas closest to the urban service area or neighboring rural settlements must be included. For more remote areas, open space requirements should be higher, with those percentages to be determined at the time of proposal.

3. Minimum lot sizes. Since lot sizes will be determined by such factors as compatibility, adjacency and the availability of utilities, and there may be a variety of locations that are appropriate for conservation subdivisions, no minimum lot size was recommended. However, it was recommended that greater open space requirements be required to complement communities where smaller lot sizes are incorporated.

4. Wetlands could be counted as a percentage of an open space requirement where they are amenitized. In order to avoid wetlands constituting the majority of a 50 percent open space requirement, these terrain types should be counted toward open space only as part of an amenity system, which may include walking trails, or when used as part of an overall environment or water management system. Wetlands, particularly those located within rural east Orange County (Area 6), provide a valuable service to surrounding habitats, and balancing their worth with future development opportunities is paramount.

Recommendations

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5. Create incentives for greater density development, such as:

•Managed community gardens. Provided that the proper maintenance is given to these communal resources through a municipal service benefit unit (MSBU) or municipal service taxing unit (MSTU), managed community gardens could serve as an additional community amenity.

•Commitment to construction requirements that result in designation of LEED gold or higher. While there are LEED prerequisites that would exclude rural development from certification, incorporating certain LEED components could still be considered.

•Other considerations for design incentives. Low-impact design standards; native, drought-tolerant, and edible landscaping requirements that are greater than the minimum county standards; workforce housing (a density bonus).

6. Requirement of certain healthy community design components, including:

• Stormwater reuse or other water conservation techniques.•Water quality treatment beyond Orange County’s minimum requirements.•Development of community trail systems.

7. Limited neighborhood commercial development should be permitted in conservation communities. It must be clear from the onset that the development of conservation communities are not an opportunity to build large grocery stores, strip malls or big box commercial operations. Limited, neighborhood commercial development may be considered in these areas where it can be demonstrated that a tangible market need exists, and appropriate location criteria and Healthy Community Design Principles are employed. In practice, commercial development should be tailored to the specific needs of the community and should be a reflection of its way of life.

Photo by Randall Arendt

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8. Particular agriculture and recreational uses should be permitted. In general, agricultural use should be permitted in conservation areas as long as they remain compatible with residential development of what are likely to be higher-quality homes. With that in mind, noxious agricultural uses, such as pig farming or chicken raising should not be permitted given their proximity to the residents of the community. In terms of recreational land use, passive recreational amenities such as hiking and bicycling trails should be permitted. Staff recommends not including golf courses as a percentage of the open space requirement

9. Create a conservation easement. In order to assure that open space areas are conserved in perpetuity and properly

Illustration by Randall Arendt

maintained, the creation of a conservation easement dedicated to Orange County with an MSBU is recommended. Open spaces can include a variety of land uses such as farms, grass fields or trails, and a comprehensive management plan can serve as a referable roadmap of responsibilities detailing who takes care of what and when.

10. Staff encourages a rural road design. Curb and gutter linking to on-site stormwater infrastructure are an option, however, not required. In weighing the maintenance costs against the water quality benefits of swale systems, it was determined that there really wouldn’t be a foreseeable need for rural road design standards in regard to water treatment and retention. In a more developed area, curb and gutter systems work well, and requiring road design standards early on could warrant higher costs in the future. What is important is that these communities should have better water quality management than is required by current code.

11. Conservation subdivisions can be a new land use designation or addressed by current code. Whether these proposed communities are classified as a new land use designation in the comprehensive plan or are modified versions of already existing designations is a decision left to Orange County. Making changes to classifications already designated as rural can often be an issue. However, the future land use element of the Orange County Comprehensive Plan should be amended to allow for conservation communities to be included in rural areas provided they are processed as a planned development and meet specific criteria to be included in the Orange County Land Development Code.

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Orange County will continue to grow along the outskirts of its cities of Orlando, Winter Park, Maitland, Apopka, Ocoee and Winter Garden. The main magnets for growth will be the Orange County Convention Center and Orlando International Airport in the south, University of Central Florida to the east, and especially the “Medical City” that is still taking shape at Lake Nona to the far southeast with its cluster of hospitals, biotech companies, university research facilities, residential developments and retail.

The county’s challenge will be to find a way to gracefully transition from city to suburban to rural without disturbing the integrity of the natural treasures that surround the land that is already developed.

Natural habitat will have to be protected around the St. Johns River, the Econlockhatchee River, the Wekiva River, the pockets of forestland and black bear habitat, and vast acreage of wetlands that are home to birds, fish, reptiles, alligators, deer, boar and numerous species of plant life.

By first identifying the centerpieces of possible conservation communities and then building sustainable infrastructure and housing around those, the county can forge a new way into the future — and preserve its rich past.

Next Steps

Source: ianpps on panoramio.com

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ULI wishes to thank the following panelists for their insights and volunteer efforts:

Randall ArendtPresident, Greener Prospects, Providence, Rhode Island

Randall Arendt is a landscape planner, site designer, author, lecturer, and advocate of “conservation planning.” He received his B.A. degree from Wesleyan University (magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) and his M. Phil. degree in Urban Design and Regional Planning from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was a St. Andrew’s Scholar.

He is Senior Conservation Advisor at the Natural Lands Trust in Media, Pennsylvania, and is the former Director of Planning and Research at the Center for Rural Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he also served as an Adjunct Professor.

In 2003, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute in London. In 2004, he was named an Honorary Member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and in 2005, he received the American Institute of Architects’ Award for Collaborative Achievement.

In 2008, he was awarded an honorary degree in Landscape Planning and Design by the Conway School of Landscape Design in Conway, Massachusetts.

Arendt is the author of more than 20 publications. After co-authoring the award-winning Dealing with Change in the Connecticut River Valley: A Design Manual for Conservation and Development, he produced a 450-page sequel entitled Rural by Design: Maintaining Small Town Character, in 1994, which is listed among 39 volumes recommended by the American Planning Association for “the essential planning library.” It is also required reading for the AICP exam administered by the American Institute of Certified Planners.

His third major work, Conservation Design for Subdivisions: A Practical Guide to Creating Open Space Networks (1996), was followed by a companion volume three years later, Growing Greener: Putting Conservation into Local Plans and Ordinances. Also in 1999, his fifth book appeared, Crossroads, Hamlet, Village, Town: Design Characteristics of Traditional Neighborhoods, Old and New. His latest book, Envisioning Better Communities: Seeing More Options, Making Wiser Choices, was published by the APA and the Urban Land Institute in March 2010.

Appendix A: Biographies

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Arendt is the country’s most sought-after speaker on the topic of creative development design as a conservation tool. He has presented slide lectures in 47 states, five Canadian provinces, and Europe. In recent years, he has been featured as a key speaker at national conferences sponsored by the American Planning Association, the Urban Land Institute, the American Farmland Trust, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the National Association of Home Builders, the Land Trust Alliance, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

His work has been featured in leading periodicals including the New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, Landscape Architect, Urban Land, The Amicus Journal, The Smithsonian, and The New Yorker. His articles have also appeared in Orion Nature Quarterly, Civil Engineering News, Habitat, Land Development, American Farmland, The Land Trust Exchange, Environment & Development, Planning Commissioners’ Journal, and the Journal of the American Planning Association.

Arendt’s site designs have been featured in publications of the American Planning Association, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Association of Home Builders, and the National Association of Realtors.

Arendt’s designs are “twice green” because they succeed both environmentally and economically. One of his designs was praised by the Director of Advocacy of the Massachusetts Audubon Society as “one of the most innovative subdivision plans I’ve seen.”

Greg GolgowskiConservation Director, Harmony Development Company, St. Cloud, Florida

Greg Golgowski has served as Director of Environmental Programs for the new town of Harmony, Florida, since September 2002 (www.HarmonyFl.com). His responsibilities cover three general areas: land management of the natural lands and waters of the 11,000-acre Harmony property; advisor to the Harmony Development Co. on best practices for sensitive land development; and creating outdoor-oriented educational and activity opportunities for the residents and visitors of the Town of Harmony.

It is the goal of these programs to see that the property’s natural systems are kept in a healthy condition, that the community grows using practices that conserve natural resources, and that opportunities exist for the community’s residents to fully appreciate and enjoy the benefits of living with a connection to nature.

Before coming to Harmony, Golgowski served for 19 years with the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, most recently in the position of Deputy Executive Director. His service there included directing the Development of Regional Impact program for the six-county region of the greater Orlando area and included the review of more than 140 such large land development proposals.

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His previous positions included Senior Environmental Analyst for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Environmental Planner for the Columbia County, New York, Planning Department.

Golgowski has a degree in biology from Hartwick College in New York, is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, is a fellow of the Florida Natural Resources Leadership Institute of the University of Florida, and currently serves as a Governor’s appointee to the Florida Greenways and Trails Council.

David MarksPresident, Marketplace Advisors, Orlando, Florida

David Marks has specialized in real estate consulting since 1986. He was a Senior Vice President with Trammell Crow Company and a Vice President with Real Estate Research Consultants before starting Marketplace Advisors Inc.

Marks is a nationally recognized expert in mixed-use town center concept development, programming and design analysis. His consulting work focuses on developing sustainable real estate development strategies for mixed-use town centers. He has extensive feasibility and real estate transaction experience.

Marks conducts marketing studies using extensive computer modeling to develop strategies to help his clients best position their real estate assets.

Henry MelendyManaging Owner, My Yard Farm, Orlando, Florida

Henry Melendy is managing owner of My Yard Farm LLC, an organic specialty produce farm operation, edible landscape and design company. He is primarily responsible for business development, public relations, retail management and development, scheduling and job logistics, resource and project management, design, community involvement, greenhouse production and distribution.

My Yard Farm’s services include specialty production and sales to restaurant, resort and grocery clients, consultation, design, installation and maintenance of commercial and residential edible landscapes and garden amenities. The company’s interest include serving communities in the pursuit of growing wholesome food for residences, businesses and restaurants.

Melendy also is the owner of Shine On Yoga LLC, a healing center located in downtown Orlando.

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He previously served as a Commercial Business Analyst for LandAmerica Financial Services LLC, where he was responsible for enterprise-level project management for a number of projects affecting the commercial and production divisions of LandAmerica. His responsibilities included analysis, gathering of business requirements, change management, training, implementation and support. Melendy was responsible for the delivery of commercial services software applications to customers across the country.

John MiklosPresident, Bio-Tech Consulting Inc., Orlando, Florida

As president and senior project manager of Bio-Tech Consulting, John Miklos has conducted and contributed to environmental evaluations and permitting in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas, and the Bahamas. He advises clients on issues involving wetlands, uplands, wildlife, water quality, land management, land development, aquatic maintenance, land management and permitting with various regulatory agencies.

Miklos holds a bachelor’s degree in Limnology from the University of Central Florida and has more than two decades of professional experience. He has extensive experience in environmental and wildlife permitting, mitigation, wetland delineation, and listed species evaluations – and he is also very well-versed in water quality studies and environmental management of lands and aquatic systems.

Miklos also is well-practiced in coordinating with civil engineers, land planners, surveyors, land use attorneys and geotechnical engineers for site plan design, and mitigation design to include preservation, enhancement, creation and restoration. Having vast experience with resolving wetland, wildlife and other permitting issues, he has a firm understanding of an applicant’s needs, including project goals, timeframes, budget priorities, and the ability to navigate the various federal, state and local government regulatory systems.

He has written numerous technical reports and permitting documents, and he is often retained as an expert witness. Miklos regularly appears before governmental and regulatory boards and commissions.

He currently serves as Chairman of the St Johns River Water Management District Governing Board and Chairman of the Orange County Environmental Protection Commission.

John RifeOwner, East End Market, Orlando, Florida

John Rife is a native of Winter Park and a passionate supporter of the small businesses and food entrepreneurs that are making the area a vibrant and tasty place to live. He is the owner of East

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End Market, a neighborhood market and food hub in the Audubon Park Garden District of Orlando, Florida. The two-story structure is home to a dozen merchants, a large event space, a demonstration kitchen, an incubator kitchen, offices, retail shops, a full-time, award-winning caterer and a world-class restaurant.

He is a commercial real estate developer by trade and a biologist and digital media maven by education. Over the past eight years, Rife has grown into a passionate advocate for Central Florida’s burgeoning local food scene and serves on the boards of Slow Food Orlando, Edible magazine, and many civic organizations.

Rife is the recipient of the ULI Central Florida 2014 Trendsetter Award, which recognizes forward-thinking and cutting-edge ideas that could be the next big trend of the land use and development industry.

André VidrineDivision Vice President, Toll Brothers, Orlando, Florida

André Vidrine, P.E., is Vice President of the Florida Central division of Toll Brothers, which builds luxury homes. Vidrine oversees all management, acquisitions, site planning and development, home designs, sales, and marketing operations for Toll Brothers in Central Florida.

Prior to joining Toll Brothers, Vidrine was the Residential Project Manager for Lake Nona, a 7,000-acre master planned community in Orlando. He was responsible for facilitating the master planning, infrastructure design, construction and builder selection for the 2,700-unit master plan community Laureate Park. His experience also includes seven years working for the engineering firms Ardaman & Associates and VHB Miller Sellen, where he became a professional licensed engineer.

This is Vidrine’s second stint with Toll Brothers. From 2003 to 2009, he served as Regional Director of Land Development, responsible for Central and West Florida, Georgia, and Charlotte, N.C. In this role, he oversaw design and development for more than $100 million in infrastructure, including 5,000+ single- and multi-family home sites.

A graduate of the University of Central Florida, Vidrine is affiliated with Urban Land Institute, Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando and American Society of Civil Engineers.

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The following are examples of conservation communities detailed in the report by Randall Arendt, President of Greener Prospects in Providence, Rhode Island.

WeatherstoneWest Vincent TownshipChester County, Pennsylvania

Set amid rolling farmlands and country estates, the 300-acre community of single-family and townhome residences includes 185 acres of open space, as well as a clubhouse, a pool, and tennis courts. “I like the Main Street feel here that’s lacking in other developments,” one resident says on the community’s website. “We have sidewalks, picket fences, porches and nice neighbors.”

Appendix B: Conservation Communities

Illustrations and photos by Randall Arendt

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Tryon FarmMichigan City, Indiana

Located one hour from Chicago and 1.5 miles from Lake Michigan beaches, this community is billed as a modern country escape for people who want to live in wide-open spaces while staying connected to city and shore life. It includes protected grass meadows, community gardens, a historic dairy barn community hall, freshwater swimming, and walking and bicycling trails.

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Indian WalkBuckingham TownshipBucks County, Pennsylvania

This 10-home community in the township’s agricultural district includes 45 acres of preserved farmlands and woodlands as well as a tree farm. The original farmhouse that was located on the land has been preserved and is visible from the main road into the community, while Indian Walk’s newer are screened from public view by a buffer of trees 100 to 200 feet deep.

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FarmviewLower Makefield TownshipBucks County, Pennsylvania

Houses in this 340-home development are built on half-acre lots and look out over farmland and woodlands. The tillable land, which is leased to local farmers, is separated from the back yards of residences by a buffer of vegetation. Lots are located away from town roads to give them maximum rural views.

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Prairie CrossingGrayslake, Illinois

The community is part of the 5,000-acre Liberty Prairie Reserve, public and private land that includes nature and forest preserves, farms and trails. Among Prairie Crossing’s amenities: more than 10 miles of trails, a stable, a lake with a beach and dock, a farm that supplies fresh organic vegetables, a medical facility, a historic barn, a historic farmhouse and a schoolhouse. Developers established the community with a framework of 10 guiding principles: environmental protection and enhancement, a healthy lifestyle, a sense of place, a sense of community, economic and racial diversity, convenient and efficient transportation, energy conservation, lifelong learning and education, aesthetic design and high-quality construction, and economic viability.

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The Ponds at WoodwardKennett TownshipChester County, Pennsylvania

The community has 55 homes and leaves 70 percent of its space open for conservation with meadows, woodlands, ponds, and a working orchard that operates as a “pick your own fruit” business. Condominiums on the site feature vistas from both front and back. Historic sites have been converted for modern uses. For instance, a 19th century farmhouse is now a nursery school, with a stained glass gallery and retail shop in an outbuilding and a cabinetmaker’s shop in the barn.

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The Fields of St. CroixLake Elmo, Minnesota

About 60 percent of the development’s 241 acres have been preserved as permanent open space. Residents live next to restored prairies and a renovated Civil War-era barn. The community was the first in Minnesota to use a large-scale wetland water treatment system for septic and water runoff, making The Fields of St. Croix self-sufficient for it water and septic needs.

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Paternal Gift FarmHoward County, Maryland

A historic farm converted to a community, this land is named for 510 acres Dr. Charles Alexander Warfield patented in 1803 as a gift for his son Gustavius. The 28 lots come with views of pastureland, woodlands and ponds. A working horse farm on the property generates enough revenue through boarding stables owned by the homeowners association. Money raised pays a part-time salary for a caretaker who lives on-site. The drive into the community is flanked by apple and peach orchards on one side and horse pasture on the other.

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FarmcolonyNear StanardsvilleGreene County, Virginia

Billed as a unique community where families live side-by-side with a host of farm animals, Farmcolony produces its own food. Residents are bound by a contract that says they can contribute as much or as little as they want to but are expected to help maintain the community’s working farm by tending to the chickens, cows and vegetable garden. The community also includes a mountain preserve with horse and hiking trails and land designated as a bird sanctuary.

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The Fields at Cold HarborHanover County, Virginia

Cold Harbor is known as the site of the Battle of Cold Harbor, which took place in 1864 during the Civil War about 10 miles northeast of Richmond. The Fields at Cold Harbor preserves not only farmland and wooded wildlife habitat, but also part of history. Cold Harbor is listed as one of the nation’s 10 most endangered battlefields.

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Birch Hollow Hamlet Loudoun County, Virginia

Located on the former Birch Hollow Farm in the heart of Washington, D.C.’s wine country, this community includes 21 lots that are shielded from traffic and development by two conservancy lots, almost all of the property’s original trees, and three ponds that are framed by wildflowers. The farm’s original stone walls line the main road, and the historic barn is still in use on the site.

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Dobbins Creek HamletLoudoun County, Virginia

The community’s 22 lots are situated on the hamlet’s 109 acres, which include five 10-acre conservancy lots, a network of walking trails, 16 acres of wetlands, and 70 acres of working farmland. The owners of several of the conservancy lots maintain horse pastures. Developers moved some of the land’s original vegetation to frame the edge of the property’s manmade pond, creating a natural habitat for wildlife.

Santa Lucia PreserveMonterrey County, California

The property’s location near California’s Highway 1, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey and Big Sur has given it a designation as a “most treasured community” by Travel & Leisure magazine. The community includes 20,000 acres of ridge tops, creeks, redwood and pine forests, oak woodlands and rolling grasslands, allowing its 300 families to live in a national park setting. About 90 percent of the land has been placed under permanent conservation deeds. Santa Lucia Preserve includes private clubs for golfing and equestrian activities.

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Appendix C: Maps

Urban Service Boundary

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Rural Service Area

Rural Settlements

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