In 1996 Cliff Fleming took a chance and bought 60 acres in Burns Harbor. A zoning attorney, he had seen others perpetuate sprawl development but that’s not what he had in mind.

Wednesday, nearly 200 people assembled in a park at The Village in Burns Harbor to see Fleming’s growing neo-traditional subdivision, a throwback to post-war urban neighborhoods, awarded the nation’s first certification by the National Association of Home Builders as a “green” development.

According to NAHB, the new 2008 National Green Building Standard sets benchmarks and a verification protocol for all kinds of residential construction as well as lot and site development. The Village was recognized for its overall design and for its efforts to protect environmentally sensitive areas, preserve existing vegetation and use low-impact development stormwater management techniques.

Sixty of the planned 265 single-family, semi-detached and multi-family homes in The Village are built; future retail and commercial development also are planned. Native trees and plant life are maintained, and a detention pond designed to support wildlife is stocked with trout, bass and bluegill.

Bob Jones, NAHB first vice-chair, presented the association’s award to Fleming and Burns Harbor Town Council president Jim McGee.

Jones said The Village’s higher density, welcoming front porches and narrower streets to slow traffic encourage its residents to go outside and know their neighbors. “The development fosters a ‘we’ attitude instead of a ‘me’ attitude.” He noted builders have seen a dramatic shift in demand by consumers for energy-efficient homes that conserve resources.

Save the Dunes executive director Tom Anderson said The Village contains many of the features his 57-year-old organization long has advocated like buried utility service, hike/bike trails and compact development that preserves open space and flies in the face of large-lot sprawl.

John Barie, an architect representing the Chicago-based Congress on New Urbanism, said The Village’s design that closely groups homes facing common green areas affords a safe place for chilldren to play because there are many “eyes on the street” to supervise them.

According to Barie, “We believe we can’t sprawl any more. Continued sprawl is costing too much in quality of life. We need to address the loss and lack of community.” However, he concedes new-urban living isn’t for everybody. “We’re not saying it has to be our way or no way, but we find that when builders do (The Village) kind of project, people come running because they want that experience. Our intention in new urbanism is not to force people into a lifestyle they don’t want.”

Increasingly, many do.

Vicky Gadd, executive officer of the 281-member Porter County Builders Association, said The Village will host a parade of homes later this year focusing on the design and construction techniques used in green homes.

Builder Coolman Communities already has two single-family homes certified under the NAHB green building program and plans to build more at The Village soon.

Coolman chief operating officer Carol Carden, who was hosting tours of a “green” home Wednesday, said, “You’ll not walk into our homes and it will be an overwhelming thing that will smack you.” Recycled building materials, high-efficiency HVAC systems, energy-efficient appliances and water-saving faucetry may be less obvious but are increasingly valued today, she noted.

U.S. Rep. Peter Visclosky of Merrillville, who’s known Fleming since 1970, congratulated Burns Harbor officials and citizens for working to help bring The Village to town and dash the perception that Northwest Indiana is somehow different or inferior. Visclosky added that the project brings both jobs and people of varying income levels together as neighbors.

Fleming’s own remarks during the ceremony were brief saying he couldn’t begin to recognize all the people who helped realize his vision although the cooperation of his family, the town, the several utility companies involved and contractor Rieth-Riley were noted.

McGee recalled how The Village, a sharp contrast to the traditionally large lots in town, was proposed prior to Burns Harbor adopting a planned-unit development ordinance so 21 variances from town code were required. “We did everything to accommodate this because we were looking for added taxes and residents.”

Fleming later commented, “The Village is the first small step in how I’d like to show the outside world what Northwest Indiana really is. I’ve been approached by other communities in Northwest Indiana to take these design principles there. It’s a matter of now I’m comfortable with a business plan and here’s how to do it.”

Posted 4/9/2009