MISSION VIEJO, Calif. - One of Orange County's oldest master-planned communities, was honored by the Urban Land Institute. The ULI is an international organization dedicated to responsible leadership with the use of land in order to enhance the total environment. Coto de Caza, a flagship development of Lennar Communities, was honored with the 2000 Award of Excellence prize from the ULI.

Established in 1970, Coto de Caza was envisioned as a rural community. According to ULI judges, the award is due primary to an unwavering commitment to the preservation of green space and enhancement of the natural environment.

The community features more than 2,200 acres of open space and wildlife refuges, dozens of carefully relocated ancient oaks, and hundreds of oak trees preserved through sensitive planning. Coto's use of drought-tolerant plant materials is not only a key component of its water-conservation program, it also is true to the original rural canyon vision for Coto de Caza. The landscape plan, created by Clark & Green and Associates, included the re-vegetation of the hills with indigenous plants that were removed by ranchers in the early 1900s.