The genesis of the second phase of Burnet Commons, affectionately called “The Woods,” is a story of a partnership among neighbors. It was an unusual partnership—and it is a story worth telling.
Seven landowners, residents, and long-time community fixtures came together to make The Woods a reality. One partner contributed the land and home where they had raised their children. Another partner added land that his parents bought long ago and had passed down to the next generation. A third partner is a family of architects and land planners who literally carved off part of their back yard to add to the planned development so that the vision of The Woods would be realized.
You’ll often read about neighbors standing up in protest of new development in their neighborhood, and understandably so—those neighbors live where they live because they like it the way it is. The Woods was different. In addition to the seven partner landowners, dozens of other adjacent neighbors unanimously rallied around the proposed development, writing to their City Councilors to insist that the novel concept for this new neighborhood proceed.
And City Council unanimously agreed. Their support went beyond a simple “yes” vote though. The City decided to join the partnership and voted to contribute some land of its own.
That’s when we knew we were really on to something special. Never in our careers have we experienced such diverse, unanimous and overwhelming support for a development concept.
The Concept:
The name says it. “The Woods.” The plan began with a focus on a central part of the property, with mature hardwood trees, gently rolling landscape, and natural tranquility. When you arrive in the neighborhood you immediately see how preservation of this area is what makes the community so special. You’ll immediately see that The Woods is different. This wooded central green space also happened to be in such a location that it would mirror and complement its sister green space in Phase 1 of Burnet Commons; a grand open lawn. The Woods, by contrast, would be a shady place to stroll.
With that, the focus turned to sustainability and environmental stewardship. Using exceptionally innovative engineering techniques, the project engineering team developed a groundbreaking strategy for storm water management. When you think of an urban street, you think of something with storm water inlets along the curb line, directing rainwater into pipes that dump directly in our creeks. And again, The Woods is different; there are no storm sewers. By keeping the water above ground and directing it to specially engineered infiltration areas, The Woods will recharge the area’s groundwater and release it to the environment cleaner than when it fell out of the sky. You’re not going to find this combination of creative engineering techniques anywhere else in Virginia.
And finally: the architecture. While the Land Planners were designing the central woods and the Engineers were innovating new sustainable development techniques, the Architects were busy with the homes. Out of the vision for The Woods sprang Southern Development’s High Performance Home. These homes don’t compromise. Designed and perfected over many years, the High Performance Home delivers brilliant curb appeal, exceptional durability, wallet-friendly energy efficiency, and fine interior detail. Sounds expensive? It isn’t. The Woods is different.
