SWA provided comprehensive master planning services for a new 4,700-acre community located near the foothills of California’s San Joaquin Valley. Envisioned as a sustainable, “smart growth” town located on less productive agricultural land, the community is designed to provide an internal balance of jobs and housing to mitigate traffic impacts. Working for the master developer in coordination with County agencies, SWA assisted in organizing a Community Services District to finance infrastructure for the new town. The major planning objective was to establish a true town, comprehensively planned to support a viable mixed community. The concept offers the following opportunities: • A balance of jobs, housing and community services, and a financial structure to pay as it grows. • A better way to manage growth and protect agriculture. The project resulted in a compact pattern of community development located on less desirable farmland, and serves as a fiscal relief valve to the County. • A location near existing transportation facilities and job centers on poorer quality farmland, making Mountain House a superior location for a planned community within the region. Mountain House Metrics • 4,700-acre new community • Accommodate 45,000 people in 16,000 units • Provide 13,100 jobs Mountain House Elements • Town center square and lake • Three village centers • Twelve neighborhoods each with K-8 school & neighborhood • Affordable family housing • Pedestrian oriented shopping • Full range of civic uses • Commercial and industrial zones • Conservation Corridor along Mountain House Creek • Bikeways and shelterbelts • 400-boat marina • Riverfront park on Old River • Golf course
Cross Creek Ranch
The Cross Creek Ranch acreage was worn-down pasture land when Trendmaker Homes bought the ranch, located about 30 miles west of Houston. The curves of the land’s natural creek had been straightened, the grass was pounded by cattle and the property was barren, without trees. Sediment filled the creek, which no longer supported wildlife. SWA devised a plan to re...
Hunter's Point Shipyard and Candlestick Point
Perched on the edge of San Francisco Bay, the Hunters Point Shipyard was an important naval manufacturing center for the WWI and WWII war efforts. The abandoned shipyard and Candlestick Point were combined into a new, mixed-use residential, retail and light industry development—the largest in San Francisco since WWII. Thomas Balsley Associates collaborated wit...
Lin'an High Tech Park
Lin’an Qingshan Lake Forest Technology Park offers a premier destination for high-tech and green-tech businesses. Designed in harmony with nature, this mixed-use community will foster productivity and connections to its physical and cultural setting, providing a vibrant mix of uses and a business culture appealing to a wide range of international enterprises. ...
The Cannery
The Cannery is a new pedestrian-friendly neighborhood in the City of Davis that exemplifies the most current and best practices of sustainable community design. Drawing from the agricultural roots of the adjacent landscape, the development emphasizes wellness through the establishment of a comprehensive open-space and recreational system and locally produced f...