Homestead Preserve One of Many Celebration Associates Communities Making Real Environmental Commitments

Views like this one at Homestead Preserve will remain pristine for future generations.

Hot Springs, Virginia – August 20, 2008. . . In Bath County, Virginia, preservation has not only taken precedence over profit; it has also created it. Since it first began offering homes and home sites for sale in 2005, Homestead Preserve has sold a third of the sites in its 450-home conservation community in Hot Springs. Situated on 2,300 acres in Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains, Homestead Preserve’s acreage could have supported as many as 2,700 homes.

Instead, in a rare and daring move, Homestead Preserve developers, Celebration Associates based in Charlottesville, elected to preserve the natural landscape for future generations. Of their original 11,500-acre purchase in 2002, they elected to sell 9,250 acres on and around Warm Springs Mountain to The Nature Conservancy and, in October 2004, placed an additional 935 acres into permanent conservation easements with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The developers have also established a “building envelope” on each individual home site to further protect the integrity of the landscape. These actions will insure that no more than 325 acres, or less than 3% of the original 11,500-acres purchased, will ever be affected by development.

While many developers make cursory nods to conservation by putting a few dozen acres in “green space,” Celebration Associates has a long history of developing communities that demonstrate a real and lasting commitment to environmental stewardship. Celebration Associates founding partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren both made their mark on conservation development and New Urbanism, helping spawn a nationwide trend, when they led planning and design of the town of Celebration, Florida in the mid 1990s.

Currently, the partners are at work on new conservation communities up and down the East Coast, including Bundoran Farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. A 2,300-acre working farm, Bundoran will remain largely intact with over 90% of its acreage protected from development for perpetuity. Bundoran Farm is one of only 47 members worldwide of Audubon International’s Gold Signature Sanctuary Program.

Celebration Associates is also involved in the development of a mixed-use, master-planned community adjacent to the landmark Mount Washington Resort in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where 600 acres of a 922-acre landscape will be left to the course of nature.

“We hope our communities will set an example,” says Charles Adams, “and show that when developers emphasize preservation, they actually enhance the value of their property. We’re not only preserving natural landscapes for future generations, we’re satisfying a desire that families have to be in a place where natural heritage still has meaning.”

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, Inc. of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, Inc. is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-224-9477. To schedule media interviews with Celebration Associates developers, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

Versant is One of Only 47 Audubon Gold Signature Sanctuary Program Members in the World

Versant's streamside greenway trail

Asheville, NC – July 23, 2008. . . Versant, the new high elevation, European-themed community overlooking downtown Asheville, has committed to membership in the internationally recognized Audubon Gold Signature Sanctuary Program. Versant is one of only 47 members in the Gold program worldwide.

The Audubon Gold Signature Sanctuary Program is the highest level program Audubon International offers to new planning and development projects seeking certification of environmental stewardship and long-term natural resource management.

“Versant wanted to be able to develop their property correctly, and they wanted certification that they had been responsible to the environment,” says Beth Bailey, a partner with Oldham Planning & Design, which is serving as Versant’s land planner. Bailey says the two streams on Versant’s property feed into the French Broad River, and ensuring the preservation of the streams’ water quality as well as maintaining the wildlife habitat around them were important goals for developer Robert Richey.

Versant has taken extensive steps to properly protect the landscape from environmental impacts, one of which is creating a 42-acre, streamside greenway that will provide a stream buffer, wildlife habitat, and walking trails. The developer is also implementing innovative strategies for erosion and sediment control, including use of a Filter Sock around storm water catch basins. A tube of net fabric filled with mulch, the sock draws silt out of run-off before it can reach water sources.

Versant has also endeavored to build roadways along previously cut logging roads to minimize the need for additional clearing and grading. The developer has been stabilizing slopes immediately after grading and using a mulch binder to hold grass seed and make it germinate faster.

In addition, the community has strict guidelines for clearing on building sites, will be implementing the use of drip irrigation systems with rain gauges for common areas, and provides homeowners with guidelines for planting drought resistant native flora in their yards.

“Audubon International wants us to conserve natural resources,” Bailey explains. “By participating in the Gold Signature Sanctuary Program, Versant is making a substantial commitment to environmental stewardship of its property and surrounding properties.”

After Versant’s road systems and public areas are complete and its natural resource management plan fully in place, the community will undergo review by an Audubon International representative to ensure it has met all of its environmental commitments and has a plan in place for continuing those commitments for the future.

“Our owners are naturally people who love these mountains and want to be part of preserving their beauty for future generations,” says Versant Developer Robert Richey. “By becoming a Gold Signature Sanctuary member, we’re making a long-term promise to our owners to protect their real estate investment by protecting the natural environment that makes this such a beautiful and valuable place to live.”

Versant is a 400-acre community on the north edge of Asheville, overlooking the downtown skyline as well as the famed Grove Park Inn. The community offers single-family homesites as well as a variety of multi-family homes at elevations up to 3,000 feet. Versant is one of only 47 members worldwide of Audubon International’s Gold Signature Sanctuary Program.

For more information on sales at Versant, call 1-866-482-1924. For media inquiries on Versant, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

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Homestead Preserve Promotes Recycling and Reuse of Construction Materials to Encourage Green Building Practices

Hot Springs, Virginia – July 22, 2008. . . In recognition of the fact that most construction site waste ends up in landfills, Homestead Preserve recently began instituting construction waste management plans as part of its builders’ participation in the EarthCraft Virginia program. The waste management plans have been designed to ensure that builders work hard to reuse leftover materials and recycle as much on site waste as feasible.

“Our efforts to reuse and recycle are part of Homestead Preserve’s long-term commitment to the environment,” says the community’s Co-General Manager and President of the Virginia Hot Springs Building Company Don Killoren. “We spent years planning how to both conserve and develop this property to ensure proper stewardship of the natural landscape for years to come, but the building process needs to be part of that stewardship as well.”

Currently, Homestead Preserve has two homes participating in the EarthCraft Virginia program, and the builders of both those homes have gone to great lengths to minimize landfill waste. They have used leftover lumber for blocking, transferred it to other building sites where it can be used, and donated it to the vocational woodworking program at Bath County High School. Builders have also reused leftover drywall by grinding it on site and mixing it with the backfill for use during final grading of the home site.

“At a conventional construction site, most scrap lumber and waste material is thrown away and ends up in landfills,” says Virginia Hot Springs Building Company construction supervisor Paul Dressler. “We have found ways to cut waste going to the landfill by as much as 75 percent.”

Homestead Preserve’s first EarthCraft Virginia certified home was completed in June. The second green certified home is scheduled for completion later this year. EarthCraft Virginia is a formal green building certification program designed to promote the construction of homes that use less energy, make use of sustainable building materials, and provide a healthy living environment for residents.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the residential development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, Inc. of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, Inc. is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-224-9477. To schedule media interviews with Homestead Preserve builders or EarthCraft homeowners, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

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Homestead Preserve Completes First Certified Green Home

Homestead Preserve Completes First Certified Green Home

First EarthCraft Virginia Home at Homestead Preserve

Hot Springs, Virginia – June 23, 2008. . The first green home has been completed at Homestead Preserve through the EarthCraft Virginia program. Situated in the Sheep Meadow neighborhood adjacent to The Homestead, the community’s first EarthCraft House, a Highlands Arts and Crafts cottage, was constructed by Andrew Watkins Custom Homebuilding of Millboro, Virginia.

EarthCraft Virginia is a formal green building certification program designed to promote the construction of homes that use less energy, make use of sustainable building materials, and provide a healthy living environment for residents. Homestead Preserve is the first community in the Alleghany Highlands to certify a home under the EarthCraft program. All EarthCraft builders must be trained and certified, and all EarthCraft homes must undergo a formal evaluation and blower door test by a third party in order to receive EarthCraft designation.

Homestead Preserve expects its second EarthCraft certified home to be complete by fall.

“We decided to become part of the EarthCraft Virginia program because its green building tenets complemented our long-term commitment to the landscape of the Alleghany Highlands,” says Don Killoren, Co-General Manager of Homestead Preserve and President of the Virginia Hot Springs Building Company, which is working on the community’s second EarthCraft home. “Most of our owners are already environmentally committed individuals,” Killoren explains. “That’s why they chose to buy at our conservation community in the first place. We wanted to provide them the additional opportunity to not only live in a community committed to landscape stewardship but also committed to building in ways that decrease our environmental footprint.”

Many Homestead Preserve homes feature green construction components, including geothermal heating and cooling systems, use of Forest Stewardship Council certified lumber, strict construction site building material recycling and reuse guidelines, and Energy Star certified appliances.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the residential development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, Inc. of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, Inc. is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-224-9477. To schedule media interviews with Homestead Preserve builders or EarthCraft homeowners, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.