The New Definition Of A Farmhouse

Developers are reacting to the market's demand for environmentally-friendly development and locally-grown food by creating housing developments that include farmable land.

1 minute read

May 22, 2007, 5:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"The projects are one form of conservation development, a movement that aims to balance growth with preservation that has been accepted by municipalities in recent years as a way to maintain open space or rural character. They also are a way for developers to distinguish themselves in a slowing housing market, catering to people's increased interest in environmental sustainability and desire for locally grown food."

"Bundoran Farm, a community under development in Albemarle County, Va., is offering 100 home sites on a working cattle farm and apple orchard at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. South Village, a project in suburban South Burlington, Vt., was recently approved for 334 homes surrounding a 40-acre farm that will grow corn and other organic produce; Babcock Ranch, in southwestern Florida, is building nearly 20,000 homes surrounded by 73,000 acres that include a cattle ranch and a vegetable farm."

Friday, May 18, 2007 in The Wall Street Journal

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