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the concept "From the outset, Willow Ponds was conceived as an integrated living environment, not merely a collection of houses. The goal was to seamlessly harmonize a small number of homes with their surroundings -- and with each other." Here's how we approached this challenge. design The goal at Willow Ponds is to design and build the 'right sized' home, the right way, on the right site. The homes at Willow Ponds are deliberately designed and sized to be not so big as to be difficult to afford and maintain. In fact, careful design allows us to build smaller homes that actually function better than the unnecessarily large houses that are now so common. The smaller home size allows us to put our resources into quality, not quantity. For more information on smaller home design visit NotSoBigHouse.com. Another benefit to smaller homes is that their footprints (the amount of land the buildings themselves cover) occupy a smaller percentage of the total land area. The feeling becomes less crowded and more spacious for all Willow Ponds residents. The homes at Willow Ponds are designed to please and delight their owners. The architecture of the homes echoes themes and details from the abandoned farm buildings on the site and from the many historical buildings in the Hood River Valley. Still, Willow Ponds offers all the benefits of owning a new, efficient, quality home. environment The overall approach to the environment respects and responds to the existing vegetation, topography and natural features such as the rejuvenation of the stream that flows northwards through the site. Over time this stream formed a beautiful little pond. Rather than attempting to divert or channel the stream flow, we decided to preserve the stream and create two additional ponds. We then defined a protected commons around them. This park corridor that runs roughly north-south through the site. The Willow Ponds commons provides a natural place for walking trails. By making the stream and ponds into a protected and accessible common area, we will insure that the stream and pond environment will always be there for the pleasure of every Willow Ponds resident. These natural habitats are also important to protect the existing wildlife and foster future wildlife and native plants in Willow Ponds. landscaping In order to work well, the Willow Ponds concept demands close attention to landscaping details. Each home is sited so as to take maximum advantage of views, but to do so without crowding or intruding upon its neighbors. The right sort of plantings, in the right places, enable us to provide both views and privacy without the need for unsightly and confining fences. Where possible, native plantings are encouraged to promote less water usage and increased wildlife habitats. For greater detail, please refer to our Design Guidelines. covenants, conditions & restrictions Willow Ponds is very sensitive to the fact that Codes Covenants and Restrictions (CC&R's) must be drafted carefully. They require a precise balance. If they are too strict, they will leave home owners feeling unnecessarily constrained. But if they are too loose, the value of the original vision for Willow Ponds will erode over time. Please take a look through the Willow Ponds CC&R document and Design Guidelines. We believe that we have found the right balance. We hope you'll agree. infrastructure As we designed Willow Ponds we took time to really think about how the infrastructure could be used to support the design goals of the project as a whole. Here are some examples:
Willow Ponds has been designed to encourage a neighborhood feeling. That feeling comes only as the result of doing a large number of small things well. Here are some of the ways we encourage neighborhood and community at Willow Ponds:
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