This is the third in a series of profile articles in Sustainable Land Development Today that feature the finalists in the 2008 Visionary Awards, which were announced in May.

Golf courses are a challenge to make sustainable, but true to its namesake, Old Greenwood is making it work on the eastern slopes of the Sierra-Nevada Mountains, near Truckee, California.

Named for Caleb Greenwood, a pioneer guide on the immigrant trail of the 1800s, Old Greenwood Golf Course and Community is blazing its own path to sustainability by finding alternatives to the intensive excavation, excessive water-use and run-off issues associated in the creation and operation of most golfing communities.

The high-level of the project’s success is underscored by Audubon International which has certified it as a Gold Signature Sanctuary, the first in the State of ­California. The feat was repeated in the company’s adjoining development; Gray’s Crossing, which received the state’s second such certification.

“When we came in, we were committed to be as green as the industry standards,” said Jeff Butterworth, project manager, Colorado-based East-West Partners, d.b.a. Old Greenwood, LLC. “We came in with the full philosophy that we are going to excel and out-do anyone else in the area.”

At 5,850 feet above sea-level, the 871 acre development is integrated with the local topography whose indigenous flora is commanded by stately Jeffery Pines and large, open, sage-bush and wild-flower meadows. Seeking to minimize the impact on the environment, the developer clustered homes around the perimeter of its 100 acre, 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course. The end result has lead to a large amount of the property left undisturbed. Coupled with financial support of a series of foundations that benefit the community, the company’s outreach has resulted in considerable public buy-in for the project.

“Most people have accepted us, welcomed us and like us,” Butterworth said. “Most communities of this nature are private. Ours is not only public. Even the roads are public. They are owned by the Town of Truckee. Our golf course is public. Anyone can come in here.”

While maintaining high standards for building quality and land development, the project has incorporated a range of innovative programs for stormwater management, water reuse, material recycling and habitat preservation and creation.

Construction began on July, 2002. The golf course and club buildings were complete as of July 04, 2004. The residential community is 60-percent complete.

A sustainable philosophy at work
East-West Partners, Inc. came into being in 1986, with developments in Beaver Creek, Colorado, a ski resort outside of Vail. It later expanded into Denver and then to Park City, Utah and Lake Tahoe, California.

Owner and founder Harry Frampton has a philosophy which combines two main points to result in a successful project. Interestingly, that formula mimics the basic definition of sustainability (balancing the needs of people, planet, and profit).

The first point is that their developments need to be sensitive to the environment and the second is that company personnel need integrate and give back to the local community. The combination has lead to market-leading sales since opening in late 2003.

Community connection to ­entitlements
Frampton wants his people involved in the community where their developments are located which means everything from placing their kids in the local school to volunteering for local boards and foundations.

Before the first entitlement hearing took place with the Town of Truckee, the company held open meetings regarding its proposed-project, Old Greenwood, to get feed back from property owners, neighbors, and town’s people in general.

“We were not very warmly received,” Butterworth said. “They didn’t like outsiders coming in and either ruining their backyard or big development coming in to dictate to the town what they will do or not do.”

Instead, the company developed partnerships within the community, and above all, listened to concerns. The result was a wide range of agreements.

More than 300 acres of land was donated to a local land preservation society. Several affordable living units were built for both rent and for sale. Roads were built and turned over to the town to address traffic concerns and seven foundations were established and funded by 1.5 percent of Real Estate transactions. One of these is a community foundation which has funded a new town recreation center, and river corridor improvement plans.

Public sentiment about the development began to turn a corner in 2003 when some of the promised public improvements came online. Though some community members remained opposed to development in their area, the results of the outreach meant a fairly seamless entitlement process.

“The Town of Truckee absolutely loves us. Of course, we were the first big developer to hit the town. Now there are several,” Butterworth said. “After dealing with us, and our partnering mentality, we set the bar. They are now realizing that we are actually good guys as they fight the others who don’t necessarily want to do what they want.”

Sustainable golf course
The Jack Nicholas Signature Golf Course at Old Greenwood is ranked in the top 100 in the nation, made Golf Digest’s Top Ten in 2007 and has done it sustainably by implementing low-impact land development and innovative water reuse and stormwater management practices.

Scenically located 200 feet above the Truckee River, the course is in view of two different mountain ranges. The Northstar At Tahoe Ski Resort can be seen across the way from some of its holes. Aided by its gently rolling terrain, planners studied the topography to discover the best way to locate the course, while minimizing the clearing process and excavation. Instead of clear-cutting the land, they took a more surgical approach, according to Joel Blaker, director of agronomy for Tahoe Mountain Club which includes Old Greenwood, LLC.

“It was fairly unique. In the past, it has been a logging operation which would leave very few trees or natural plants,” he said.

Instead, a route for the golf course was chosen and the center of each fairway was staked out. Incrementally, one hole at a time, they’d clear 60 percent of the vegetation, then Nicklaus and his crew would visit to review the site to make the final recommendations that are necessary to accommodate each tee, fairway and hole.

“When it was all said and done, it looked like the golf hole was placed in a natural forest. The tree lines were right on the grass. The sage was right off the turf areas. There weren’t expansive areas that were cleared for no reason,” Blaker said. “If you look at the golf course now, it looks like it’s been there for 100 years. It was just built five years ago.”

The land was devoid of surface water before the development began. Today it features eight surface acres of water in a series of lakes and streams that are interconnected to hold stormwater and spring snow melt which is routed to an irrigation lake that services the course.

Before the water enters these waterways, it first moves through a series of bioswales which provide natural filtration. Planners designed it so that a 100 year flood would be retained on site by the system.

“We have some piping, but everything either goes to golf-course irrigation or to stormwater retention ponds,” Blaker said. “Nothing leaves the site.”

Even the water used to wash equipment is reused. After being pumped from the irrigation lake and used, the water goes through a clarifier before being returned to the lake.

“The local water district did not want us to do that,” Butterworth said. “We had to prove to them that the water would come out at drinking-water levels to allow it to happen.”

There was also a plan to collect and reuse gray water, but because of the relatively flat terrain, the local sewer agency wouldn’t approve. The water was needed to get waste to the local sewage plant.

In the end, approximately 300,000 cubic yards of earth was excavated for the project, a minimal amount for a golf course, according to Butterworth.

Clustered structures
The project’s commercial buildings and residences were laid out using the same, low-impact, land-development approach that followed the topography.

“When we actually cut the roads in, it was a small amount of dirt movement,” Butterfield pointed out. “I think the total road earth movement was about 50,000 yards, not including the utility trenches.”

Homes were clustered around the perimeter of the golf course, which resulted in a large amount of the property going undisturbed, while providing home owners with a truer sense of community.

The Old Greenwood Design Review Board is responsible for approving home designs. Strict restrictions are in play to encourage homeowners to respect the land. The average lot size is 30,000 square feet, with a buildable area of 10,500 square feet, surrounded by setbacks of 20 feet to 30 feet.

No turf is allowed. The landscaping around the buildings is native with drip irrigation. “Keep as much sagebrush as possible,” has been a motto, according to Butterworth.

“As we go in to build a site, we try to disturb only the building footprint, usually six to eight feet outside of it. When we re-vegetate, we do native grasses, wildflowers, and primarily trees and shrubs so it’s all low impact,” he said.

The Design Review Board also encourages sustainable building practices to further promote sustainability.  

Meanwhile, the developer has constructed several commercial buildings as well as its fractional homes (cabins and town homes).

The 18,000 square foot Pavilion houses a recreation center, restaurant, front desk, some retail, a kid’s camp, plus a 2000 square foot workout facility with 800 square foot aerobic room and two pools.

“The other commercial building is the Old Greenwood House, which houses our sales facility, golf shop and cart barn,” Butterworth said.

“For those, we’re doing LEED for Existing Building, which we will accomplish in about three months, during a performance period.”

Two other buildings, the Natural Management Resource Center, which is the golf maintenance facility and a sister building which contains offices for various other operations, are LEED certified.

The Pavilion and the pro shop and all the fractional units are sided with reclaimed wood from the Great Salt Lake. It’s called, “Trestlewood,” and is made from railroad trestles that had fallen into the salt water in the late 1800s. Divers brought up the wood to be reclaimed for a variety of purposes. The timberwork in the restaurant and Pavilion is also made of the unique wood product.

“You don’t stain it or seal it. It’s not only reclaimed, there’s no maintenance to it,” Butterworth said. “It’s a really neat product.”

Similarly fifteen, wholly-owned villas, or town homes, have a mix of cedar siding or siding made from so-called “pickle wood,” which is reclaimed by the Heinz company.

“They decommissioned pickle barrels and turned them into siding,” Butterworth said. “The same theory. It’s a neat deal.”

Trails and wildlife
A natural trial system encourages members to walk and enjoy nature while significantly reducing the negative effects of vehicle traffic. It not only connects all parts of the property, but provides a link to the developer’s other project and the outside world.

An eight-foot, Class 1, paved bike path is connected to six miles of paved trails through Gray’s Crossing, which is across the Interstate from Old Greenwood. That system is connected to another that trail to a commercial center near Truckee.

“So you can actually ride from Old Greenwood to Gray’s Crossing to downtown today,” Butterworth said. Interpretive signs are posted to inform the hikers and cyclists about the land and its history, including the development’s namesake, Caleb Greenwood.

Great care was taken to protect ­natural areas outside the developed areas during construction. Four, large ­preserves have been set aside, varying in size and composition from open sage meadows to intact Jeffrey Pine forest ecosystems. Buffers and corridors are ­located throughout the development to allow native animals’ free movement over the property. From the tracks found in the bunkers and on greens, that movement appears to be increasing. A herd of eleven deer regularly roamed through the site prior to construction, but ­vanished.

“Now they are back. It’s fantastic,” Butterworth said. “We also had a pair of great horn owls who are hunting on this land.”

Down but not out
Sales were going great guns at Old Greenwood, but it has been affected by the down market that has impacted California and the rest of the country. There are 104 single-family home sites at Old Greenwood, with 74 fractional cabins.

The initially development launched 99 home sites in late 2003, eighty-two sold on the first day, the remainder sold by summer 2005 at an average price of $400,000. Meanwhile, Old Greenwood has been recognized as the top, fractional-sales project for the last 4 years running by ARDA (American Resort Developments Association).

“They have been selling well this year, even though the market is down. We’re seeing it across the board. It’s going to be our slowest year ever,” Butterworth said.

But the market will improve and the fundamentals of Old Greenwood are sound.

“It is such a unique and interesting project and it has created a fantastic community,” he said. “It’s an open-to-the-public resort community, which is not heard of very often.” SLDT