• Subscribe
• Advertise
• Contact Us
• View Ads
• Place Ad
• Publications

• Articles & Publicity
  • City Guides
  • Locations & Destinations
  • On The Market
  • Residential Developments
• Online Ads
  • Agents & Brokers
  • Auctions
  • Commercial & Investment
  • Destination Clubs
  • Developments & Communities
  • Open Houses
  • Residential & Vacation

Gilded Gates

Lisa Selin Davis

November 1, 2005

Earlier gated communities stretched out over what had been undeveloped land, sometimes supporting the criticisms that gated communities were environmentally insensitive and contributed to suburban sprawl. “To build out and spread was, at that time, really no big deal,” says Paul Grucza, former president of Community Associations Institute, a nonprofit organization for the governing bodies of gated communities. “Now land is at a premium, so compacting communities has come into play.”

---

Trophy Point, a $22.5 million property at Boca Raton’s Sanctuary. Photography by Corey Weiner/redsquarephoto.com. (Click image to enlarge.)

In fact, many new gated communities are environmentally friendly, either by default (land is too expensive to have the houses spaced far apart) or to attract a more preservationist-minded customer. The houses often remain large, but they are placed close to one another, creating a de facto cluster effect. “The density will be environmentally quite sound,” says Grucza.

A private Sanctuary residence on Osprey Point Circle. Photography by Corey Weiner/redsquarephoto.com.  (Click image to enlarge.)

The Bonita Bay Group, which creates master-planned gated communities in Florida, preserves Florida wetlands in its communities, boasting environmentally sensitive design in an area plagued with ecological ills. Its Bonita Springs development received the Urban Land Institute’s Award for Excellence by maintaining the area’s fragile ecosystems during construction. Monterra in Monterey, Calif., joins a new crop of eco-friendly gated communities dedicated to preserving land, conserving water, incorporating green design and attracting people interested both in home ownership and in preserving the earth. “The preservation of open space was a big, big factor [in drawing residents],” says Roger Mills, Monterra’s developer. This luxury community includes 168 homesites, with prices starting at $1.5 million (houses average $3.6 million) on 1,700 acres of pristine former farmland along the California coast; the homes are clustered together to preserve hundreds of acres of parkland.