The Urban Reserve

       

In the 1980’s the land just East of I-75 between Forest and Royal Lane was not particularly disable, and seemed to serve as a place for illegal dumping for asphalt and concrete, and channelized dirt from White Rock Lake.  Most of the plots of land there were owned by several individuals.  Along came a developer, who saw potential in the forgotten pieces of land and he began to contact the owners in an attempt to purchase and piece together a building site.  He was successful in his efforts to lock down 13 acres, but still a long way from turning this site into anything that most people would even consider building on.  The contract to the property was ultimately assigned to Diane Cheatham, who became the Developer of what is now known as the Urban Reserve. 

From the beginning, the Urban Reserve did not take the traditional path of residential development.  For starters, each lot would be “sold as is” which might have included large pieces of concrete left from the illegal dumping days, and would most likely vary slightly in size and shape in a attempt to keep with the rhythm and lay of the land. 

With support from Dallas City Hall, the street that runs through the Urban Reserve is only 22 feet, which is more narrow than the typical 24-28 foot residential street size.  The homes are built on zero lot lines and do not require the homeowner to leave a 5 foot space between their property line and their neighbors. The idea being that when you butt up against your neighbor's lot, you (and your neighbor) have a larger green space on one side of your home without taking out the 10 feet of wasted allowance used in most developments.   The landscaping that is added to the naturally woodsy site is native to Texas and drought tolerant, and includes Bald Cypress, Dessert Willows and Horsetail Reeds.  The grounds include rain gardens with French drains, 2 retention ponds and 30 acres of water shed irrigation.

The homes are modern in design and have attracted notable local and nationally recognized architects including Dan Shipley, Lionel Morrision, Max Levy, Vince Snyder and others.  The homes should feature low impact, energy efficient living with design that respects the natural environment.  Homeowners are expected to build to LEED standards and encouraged to use design and construction elements such as geothermal HVAC , spray foam insulation, and Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs), dual flush toilets, on-demand water heaters, advanced framing, structured slab on piers, and zero VOC paints.     

Perhaps not surprisingly, the demographics vary among homeowners and the community at the Urban Reserve has organically created the types of demographics that many areas try to achieve by design and marketing.  The age range of the development varies from 28-76 years old and the home prices run from $300,000, on the low end, to over $2 million on the high end.  What unites this group of people is their love for contemporary design, a connection to nature, efficient building standards, proximity to city conveniences and an opportunity to meet like minded people.  

The model seems to be successful and is perhaps the shape of things to come in residential development.  What is seen as unique today may one day soon become the standard.    


Urban Reserve http://www.urbanreserve.net/