Prospect New Town: Encyclopedia II - Prospect New Town - Description

Prospect New Town - Description

The development is being built on the site of an 80 acre (324,000 m²) tree farm formerly owned by Wallace's family. It sits along the west side of U.S. Highway 287 just south of Pike Road. The development incorporates a broad mix of traditional and modern designs, mixed together to create and eclectic feel. Although planned by DPZ, the individual units are designed by a variety of architects, who are encouraged to experiment with styles. It includes a heterogeneous mix of businesses, detached homes, row houses, live/work lofts, and apartments. The original farmhouse and other structures have been integrated into the development, in part to retain continuity with the former use of the property. Many of the new structures resembles traditional housing styles from early in the 20th century.

Keeping to new urbanist principles espoused by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (the partners of DPZ) and others, the plan of the community forgoes traditional suburban features such as large front lawns, uniform featureless fronts dominated by large garage doors, and segregation of housing from businesses. Instead, the development is designed with small yards and higher density, to create a traditional neighborhood look and feel. It is also designed to be pedestrian friendly, not only in the amenities such as sidewalks, but in promoting the desirability of walking short distances within the complex. Houses and lots in the project are typically smaller than in U.S. suburban developments. The typical house in the project has an area 5,100 square feet (470 m²) of living space on a 7,000 square foot (650 m²) lot.[1]. Prices for houses in the project initially ranged from 150,000–500,000 USD, but have trended quickly upward because of the high demand and the overall growth of real estate prices in the area.

The development includes a town center interwoven into the center of the residential area, with businesses ranging from restaurants to professional offices [2]. The streets are oriented to maximize the view of the mountains, and a traditional town center that would be no more than five minutes on foot from any place in the neighborhood. It would include not only houses but also stores and offices that themselves would have living spaces upstairs, in the manner of many older traditional two-story commercial properties.

Due to the bright colors and eclectic architecture of the buildings, many area residents refer to Prospect as "Toon Town".

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Description", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki