Governor Awards Landscape Design

BOULDER, CO

The views of the mountains and natural lands from the one-acre to 1.3-acre house sites have been undisturbed at The Farm in Boulder Valley, honored with The Colorado Governor's 1998 Smart Growth and Development Award. Residents have access to shared open space, and there is enough land left over for the clients to maintain their cattle ranch. Illustration provided courtesy of Winston Associates.

The Farm in Boulder Valley, designed by Landscape Architects in Boulder, Colorado-based Winston Associates, Inc., was recently selected by Colorado State Governor Roy Romer as a recipient of the Governor's 1998 Smart Growth and Development Awards for an award of Special Achievement.

The Farm in Boulder Valley is a multi-faceted project headed up by Robert L. Perletz, a Senior Associate at Winston Associates, in which the focus has been on careful planning and developing (over the span of two decades) 18 houses on 1,000 acres of agricultural land located in the heart of Boulder Valley. Rather than sprawling out over large lots, each house is limited to a fairly small lot clustered along one of two roads.

As a result of thoughtful planning, the vast majority of the property remains a cattle ranch, or has been reclaimed as high-quality wetlands, lakes and wildlife habitat. In addition, three miles of Boulder Creek, including one of the state's four heron rookeries, have been restored to a natural state.

This picture of preservation actually results from the type of development that exemplifies Smart Growth. Developer Donald Culver and a team of consultants carefully guided a gravel-mining operation and the preparation of custom-home sites in a fashion that co-exists with ranching and wildlife. The gravel mining was planned to create contouring for naturalistic lakes. The heron rookery was not disturbed. Wildlife habitat has been greatly enhanced thanks to large-scale planting of native plants around the lakes.