Judges Select Communities in Florida, Texas and California for Land Plans and Amenities;
BOSTON, Massachusetts — Freehold Communities, has received five Awards of Merit (the top vote recipients) by 2018 Gold Nugget Awards for three masterplans that include major sustainable components. PCBC’s Gold Nugget Awards are presented annually to innovators in design, planning and development. The competition is open to builders, developers, architects, and land planners with communities and projects across the United States and internationally.
One Grand Award winner in each category, as well as the “Home of the Year” award winner will be announced June 28, 2018 in San Francisco.
The Shearwater land plan establishes natural conservation areas alongside pristine Trout Creek, in St Augustine, Florida. Image by Chet Frohlich, courtesy of Freehold Communities
Freehold Communities’ Awards of Merit from PCBC are in three categories:
- Best Community Land Plan
- Headwaters in Dripping Springs, Texas
- Shearwater in St. Augustine, Florida
- Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Community
- Headwaters
- Shearwater
- Best On the Boards Site Plan
- Miralon in Palm Springs, California
All of Freehold’s eight new residential and mixed-use communities – in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee and California – express the company’s Vital Community™ approach that embraces healthy living, engagement, connectivity, stewardship and distinctive home design. And all are distinguished by extensive amenities, including nature preserves, or innovative merging of homes and open space, such as “agrihoods.”
Miralon in Palm Springs is one of the largest emerging “agrihoods” in the U.S. Image by Freehold Communities
Winning Project Descriptions
Freehold Communities submitted the below statements for its award winners:
Best On the Boards Site Plan – Miralon: This sustainably designed Palm Springs community – one of the largest “agrihoods” in the U.S. – has received national attention. Miralon allows 1,150 Modernist-inspired residences to harmonize with the Coachella Valley’s architectural heritage. A highlight of Miralon’s 300 acres is its transformation of an 18-hole golf course – built but never played – into working olive groves and community gardens. The 97-acre open-space plan repurposes the former golf course into groves and parks, including more than 70 acres of olive trees. Olive oil from the orchard will be pressed on-site, and fruits and vegetables from the community gardens will go directly to the tables of residents. Evolving the existing golf course into habitat-sensitive, agricultural open space is a response to the precious resources of the Coachella Valley including its need for water. All homes at this “eco-Modern” community will be built with solar panels as a standard feature.
Best Community Land Plan – Shearwater: Designed to celebrate its location alongside pristine Trout Creek, Shearwater embraces habitat preservation and human activity through a thoughtfully executed master site plan. It comprises approximately 1,500 acres with over 2,600 residential units. The arrival and central spine road are positioned alongside mature landscapes and natural conservation areas. Intentionally narrower than standard roads, the spine throughway was negotiated and approved by St. John’s County. It accompanies an expanded multi-use trail that gives pedestrians and bicyclists the highest priority in the community’s transportation hierarchy. In each village, cul-de-sacs act as trailheads to open spaces, connecting homesites with the natural landscape. The network of trails connects open spaces throughout the community, offering picnic areas, dog parks, creek-front overlooks, and a kayak and canoe launch. The community enjoys an extraordinary commitment to outdoor recreation, nature, wellness, and quality of life.
Best Community Land Plan – Headwaters: The Headwaters master plan employs an enlightened, preservation-development approach to land that is rich in history and scenery in the heart of Texas Hill Country. Working with the original owners of the land and the surrounding community, Headwaters designers crafted the community to preserve the natural landscape, protect the Barton Creek watershed and provide for the well-being of the people who call it home. The plan preserves over 1,000 acres for parks and open space, with miles of trails. The land plan allows each home back-up to open space, while preserving the hilltops for magnificent views and natural contours. It also strictly limits impervious cover so that rainwater is absorbed into the soil and vegetation. And Headwaters limits the number of homes to 1,000. Forward-thinking design guidelines encourage the use of native species and home designs that respect the history and natural resources of the property.
Headquartered in Boston, and founded in 2013, Freehold Communities is currently developing eight eco-friendly masterplans throughout the United States, five of which opened in 2017.
