Conservation Communities - A New Approach for Cities

Lush, green, open space filled with prairie grasses, beautiful wildflowers, songbirds, wildlife habitat, meandering walking trails. Close-knit neighbors in tune with the nature that surrounds their homes and yards. These are the inherent components of Hubbell’s new conservation communities—a concept that may foretell the future for suburban developments.

“A conservation community creates a special place,” says Tina Hadden, whose firm, Mowry Strategies, specializes in environmental issues management and strategic planning. “Unlike a traditional subdivision with rows and rows of houses, you’re working with the lay of the land. You not only have a good view, you have a more natural state—not perfectly manicured lawns, but a more natural look with tallgrasses, native flowers, birds, and butterflies.”

The low-maintenance concept appeals to a wide range of people, Tina says, from young families to empty nesters. “We have nature deficit disorder today” she says. “We’ve become so far removed from nature that we’ve forgotten how to appreciate it. These communities bring nature and its beauty right up to your
back door.”

Although each personal yard is smaller—with houses closer together and nearer the street—among the houses “are larger, beautiful prairie areas, bike paths, and nature trails,” she says. “Common spaces are usually managed by the homeowners’ association but enjoyed by everyone. Children can have a relationship with nature instead of just playing in the backyard.”

To Jennifer Welch, urban conservationist with the Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District, Hubbell’s conservation communities fit perfectly into a statewide effort to embrace low-impact development practices for storm-water management.

“We talk a lot about having our landscapes work for us,” she says. “These open spaces are linkages that provide us with clean water or recreational opportunities. Conservation developments make the water work harder to get off the property. It’s exciting—protecting our water for the future.

“What we’re really talking about is managing storm water differently,” Jennifer adds. “We keep it on site to soak into the ground and seep slowly into the streams. The natural features are worked around and saved, or put back in with tree plantings and native grasses.”

CHANGING THE RULES

Picture of a Conservation Community with open green space.

Our suburbs in past decades have featured “gray infrastructure,” she says, with streets, sewers, lots of concrete. “Here, we’re talking about ‘green infrastructure,’ with open spaces to manage water flow, places for wildlife, and people movement within the landscape. I see regulations becoming more stringent in the future as we begin to understand the impact our practices have on the environment.”

Today youmay not have anywhere to go besides a sidewalk, Jennifer says. “But we’re beginning to change the rules. It brings back some of our heritage, giving people unstructured space to play on the rocks in the stream channel. It’s a livable, walkable community where we can get out and enjoy our neighbors in a way we haven’t been able to before.”

Gary and Carol Schug find life in a conservation community enjoyable as well as beautiful since moving into Glynn Village in Waukee a few months ago. “We love it,” says Gary. “We’re extended middle age, and we don’t have to maintain the backyard. But still, there is so much space. In May the wildflowers were so pretty.We’d sit out on the deck on Saturday morning, have coffee, and enjoy the wildlife and flowers. You feel like you live in the country.”

A NEW APPROACH FOR CITIES

Ruth Randleman, mayor of the city of Carlisle, where Hubbell’s Danamere Farms conservation community is located, says this new approach to beautifying the landscape and protecting water quality will be good for area cities. “You have to complement a traditional mind-set,” she says. “It’s a departure. We have some ordinances in place that don’t fit with this new kind of thinking. But we were interested in a ‘green’ approach, and it was a good match with Hubbell. I found it fun to work with something that I knew was going to be good for the community. It’s not a fad. If you don’t become sustainable, you may compromise your future.”

David Wilwerding, community development director for the city of Johnston, agrees. Although it’s still in the planning stages, he believes a conservation community will meet some of the city’s future needs. “EPA and DNR standards are tightening in regard to storm water,” he says, “so, going forward, the conservation theme
will need to take hold to meet the standards.”

“Cities are used to conventional subdivisions where they put everything in a pipe and move it into rivers and streams,” says Joe Pietruszynski, development manager for Hubbell Realty. “We’re doing the exact opposite. We’re trying to slow it down, open up more space. It’s a very environmentally sound way to develop land
while improving it.”

First and foremost, Joe says, “a conservation community minimizes the impact of storm water on the environment, retaining the water and cleaning it before it moves off site. When rain moves across the landscape and brings up particulate matter and pollutants from the road, as well as fertilizer, it moves them downstream. We’re creating native wetlands and native prairies and using them as a massive filter for the water.

“Our development mitigates the impact from pollutants and the velocity in which it leaves the site,” he says. “If we don’t do something about it, there will be increased pollutants, particulate matters, and erosion in our rivers and streams.”

WHY HUBBELL?

For Hubbell to become a leader in this effort is a natural, Joe says. “We have always been a market leader in new ideas and concepts. We have many years of construction experience in our company, and we realized this was the way of the future and the right thing to do.”

Many experts are brought in to help develop the communities, Joe says, including technical engineers to analyze the soil, civil engineers, landscape architects, botanists, experts in wetland mitigation, erosion control inspectors, and seed installers. Overall maintenance is uncomplicated, Joe says. “The prairie
regenerates itself. Occasionally we’ll need to do controlled burns and low mowing.

“Residents moving into a conservation community are aware the environment is special,” he says. “It has seven times the public open space that’s found in a typical development, and it’s a landscape that’s going to take on many different forms over time. It opens up space where the kids can play. It’s a completely different environment than in a conventional subdivision. I think ten years from now it will be the standard
approach to suburban development.”

Six Area Hubbell Conservation Communities:

Glynn Village in Waukee is Hubbell Realty Company’s largest conservation community. It features open public parklands, walking/biking trails, play areas, a community clubhouse with pool, and a habitat for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Take Hickman Road west of I80/35 approximately 5 miles to Warrior Lane and turn left. Continue south into Glynn Village.

Find homes and information for Glynn Village here.

Danamere Farms in Carlisle features biking/walking trails and spectacular views of rolling countryside in a natural setting. Take the Hwy 65/5 Bypass to Hwy 5 toward Carlisle. Turn south on Scotch Ridge Road. Danamere Farms is on your left.

Find homes and information for Danamere Farms

Meadowlark South in Grimes has something for everyone. It offers single-family homes nestled among native prairies, trails, and large public spaces just minutes from I80/35. Take Highway 141 to South 11th Street and turn west. The community is on the south (left-hand) side. Crosshaven in Johnston is situated on 277 acres and will offer easy access to linked trails and native prairie open space. Take Highway 141 to
Grimes/Saylorville Lake. Turn east on NW 70th Ave/Highway 44. Turn north on NW 100th Street
and continue approximately 3/4 mile. The community will be on your right.

Find homes and information for Meadowlark South

The Greens at Woodland Hills in Polk County sits on 207 acres of lush greenery and mature oak trees just north of Des Moines. It features approximately 100 acres of open space that will give homeowners access to beautful walking and biking trails, play areas and contiguous habitat for birds, butterflies and other
wildlife. Take 35 North to the Corporate Woods exit. Turn West on NE 66th Avenue and travel 1 ¾ miles into the community.

Tuscany in Altoona gives homeowners easy access to all of the amenities the city has to offer in an environmentally-sound neighborhood. The community is located close to Altoona’s extensive park and trails system, the aquatic center, the library, and a new Hy-Vee. Take 80 East to the Bondurant/Altoona exit and turn south on to 1st Avenue North. Turn east on NE 54th Avenue, and then south on to NE 80th Street, which will turn into 14th Avenue SE. The entrance to the community will be on your left.

Geothermal System Installation

From celebrities on magazine covers to new products on store shelves, it seems everyone’s going green. But one Des Moines-area home builder—Hubbell Homes—is light years ahead of the curve, with communities and building initiatives that demonstrate its commitment to the health and well-being of the metro area.

THE CONSERVATION THREES

Any sustainable or green building begins with the three tenets of conservation: energy efficiency (of the building envelope as well as products and materials), resource conservation (minimizing construction waste and consideration of the source of materials and products), and indoor air quality (whether the products and
materials used in the building or maintaining of a home are benign or harmful). Hubbell is unique in that the company has decided to address all of them. “If there’s one phrase that encapsulates green building, it’s that you want to build a better home—one that lasts, is more durable,” says Lynnae Hentzen, executive director and cofounder of the Iowa Center on Sustainable Communities (COSC). “Hubbell has recognized that you need to be conscientious in steps you take in your building strategy.”

Take, for example, Hubbell’s three conservation communities in Grimes, Waukee, and Carlisle. Each has at least one-third of the land dedicated to open space, which is typically seeded in prairie plantings, says Greg Moeller, Construction Superintendent for Hubbell Homes. Energy Star is standard on all new Hubbell construction, and geothermal heating and cooling are just one of a number of options homeowners can choose in building packages. “People talk a lot about green construction,” says Rick Tollakson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hubbell Realty Company. “We’re trying to come up with packages of green products and methods that people want and will pay for.”

While most consumers recognize the Energy Star logo and understand that bamboo flooring is an environmentally friendly choice, Hubbell has gone beyond selecting environmentally friendly products by analyzing how the homes are actually built. “There are lots of things done that go beyond what is seen, that are hidden behind the walls in the structure of how a home is built or the core of the home,” Lynnae says. “It’s easy to do business as usual but hard to make even small changes. Hubbell has been willing and able at the corporate level to take on some of these environmental shifts. They believe in it from the top down.”

Visit EnergyStar.gov for more information.

KEEPING SCORE

Greg Moeller likens the options for green homes to buying a car. Any new car will get you from point A to point B, but start throwing some upgrades in there and the value starts to go up. Some of these upgrades, as it turns out, are good for the environment and the pocketbook. “Appraisers are starting to look at the impact of green options when determining a home’s value. The difference can be significant,” he says.

To enable homeowners to make the same sort of value judgment, Hubbell has three different green living packages; each offers different levels of add-ons. The basic package includes things such as TimberStrand® framing, oriented strand board, and job-site waste recycling. Upgrades include water-based floor finishes and latex paint to improve indoor air quality, HardiePlank™ siding that lasts 50 years, and ultrafit insulation with a higher R-value. Hubbell has also asked its suppliers to analyze the sustainability of materials—where they come from and how they were produced. “We’re constantly adding to those packages as improvements are made in the industry,” Greg says. “We’re excited about it and we want to make sure our customers can join in.”

Hubbell has also worked with COSC to produce a green building checklist, and the company hires an outside party to rate the “green-ness” of its homes using the Home Energy Rating System (HERS).The baseline home rates a 100, while Energy Star homes need a score of 85 or lower. Hubbell Homes average a score of 75. The
score incorporates factors such as solar gain, site orientation, amount of foundation above ground, insulation, ductwork efficiency, and furnace and air-conditioner size. “There’s a learning curve when going green, and it might be overwhelming to a person just starting out,” Greg says. “That’s why we’re trying to figure out for the consumer how green something is and whether it has good value.”

That education and those packages enable consumers to choose what’s important to them based on their own priorities. “It’s great to have a leader like Hubbell working and driving the supply side,” Lynnae says. “Now that consumer awareness is rising, people will start to ask for things, and that will continue to push the market.”

FOR THE FUTURE

To most in the homebuilding industry, green represents a shift toward the way building will be. “If you combine green living in concert with conservation living, you are making a statement to your family about how you feel about the environment,” Rick says.

That means the company will continue to explore new ways of building homes that are responsible and sensible. “There are so many things coming up—automation, for example,” Greg says. “Technology for the home is really going to help people with energy conservation. We want to be able to present people with the best options so they understand what value they have.”

And that is value for the community as well. “Green boosts economic development; it’s a win-win for everyone,” Lynnae says. “The bottom line of green is black.”

Unlike other home builders, what Hubbell has realized, after over 150 years as part of the metro-area community, is that the company is in it for the long haul—which makes sustainability even more important. “We want Iowa to grow and prosper,” Rick says. “We are community- and neighborhood-driven in our organization. That’s the ethic that F.M. Hubbell started, and it continues today.”