Title:
Townpark Planning Concepts and Practice and Water Quality Protection
Townpark Planning Concepts and Practice and Water Quality Protection
Author(s)
Macauley, Stephen
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Hatcher, Kathryn J.
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Abstract
Many of the concepts to minimize impact on water quality recommended in Land Development Provisions to Protect Georgia Water Quality (Nichols, 1999) have been incorporated into the design of Macauley Homes and Neighborhoods' developments. Mr. Macauley will discuss his land planning concept of Town Park Planning, which embodies the use of extensive green space and minimal environmental impact as an essential part of each of his designed communities. He will describe examples of the approach embodied in existing and planned communities such as Burnt Hickory, Walden Park, and Ridenhour. Ridenhour is a designed town that will include a town center, a range of housing including an assisted care facility, retail space, open spaces and recreational opportunities. Among the major design objectives are to reduce vehicle trips and minimize impacts on water quality. The proposed Ridenhour development plan exemplifies the incorporation of these environmental protection principles into the land development process. In the conceptual plan for Ridenhour, the site design has delineated and preserved key natural and historic areas such as dense woodlands, stream buffers, and Civil War trenches and separated development from these areas. The mixed use development provides a variety of housing options within the site and provides ready access to a variety of uses such as retail, commercial with housing above, and recreation interconnected with walking paths and bikeways. This serves to reduce automobile trips within the development, to and from employment for some residents, and shared use of parking lots. Further reductions in the total impervious area and, consequently, the amount of runoff that may convey pollutants would be achieved through reduced impervious surfaces in parking areas, reduced pavement widths of streets that are designed to serve small clusters of lots, and reduced pavement in the cul-de-sacs. Following the example set in the Burnt Hickory Registry development, the Ridenhour development will allow the absolute minimal clearing necessary for roads and building sites, continue to use the shredded woody debris for soil stabilization on exposed areas and the construction of check dams in vulnerable areas to supplement required erosion and sedimentation control practices, and continue to inspect site erosion and sedimentation control measures regularly.
Sponsor
Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology
Date Issued
1999-03
Extent
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Proceedings