The Ponds has its heart in land conservation

Great pains have been taken to preserve the natural beauty of the nearly 2,000 acres being developed for The Ponds neighborhood. The next step has been to ensure that legacy is maintained after the home builders leave.

Greenwood Communities and Resorts, the developer responsible for the land along U.S. Highway 17A in Summerville, has established The Ponds Conservancy Charter to make sure the philosophy behind the creation of the community is maintained.

"You can do all kinds of things physically with nature, but a true conservation within a community has to be through an organization to make it work," said John Morgan, general manager of The Ponds. "When you do a big community like this, it needs to be governed, and there's a home-owners association to handle that. But you need another group whose sole purpose is to focus on the social and environmental purposes of the community.

"It's all part of a long-term plan that provides people with a lifestyle."

Greenwood Communities has established itself as a different kind of land developer. Whereas some developers find it easier to clear cut sections of forest for new homes, Greenwood Communities treats the trees, especially old growth, as precious assets to their future neighborhoods.

Morgan points to the Beresford Hall community on Daniel Island as an example.

"Beresford Hall had 476 grand trees on the property. Prior to developing a phase, we get a tree service to pull out the dead wood, pull off the vines and fertilize around the roots. We did not cut one grand tree," he said, also noting that the planners drew out the streets and house lots to accommodate the trees. "You can't buy a 300-year-old tree, nor can you create it."

The same philosophy has been extended to The Ponds. The sales building is a refurbished historic home that needed some foundation work. Morgan said to do the work, large vehicles would be needed to lift the house, and that almost certainly would have doomed a nearby oak whose trunk looked to be about 3 feet in diameter. Realistically, the tree probably wouldn't have been missed. It stands among several other much older oaks. But Greenwood absorbed the expense of moving the house 200 feet to protect a healthy tree.

Conservation is a cornerstone of the philosophy behind Greenwood Communities, especially as it applies to The Ponds. The area sits at the headwater of the Ashley River, and a home was established there in 1682. More recently, the acreage was the base of a hunting club.

Greenwood Communities has embraced the history of the place with the preservation of the old farmhouse. Morgan said the company also took the time to map out all the pre-existing trails on the hunting grounds and incorporated them into the neighborhood's extensive walking-trail system.

"We knew the natural network, so when we did the master plan, we superimposed the road system onto it," Morgan said.

Only 850 of the 1,950 acres of property are planned to have homes and other amenities. The other 1,100 acres have been set aside as wetlands and a conservation area.

Morgan said residents can see deer, bobcats and wild turkeys. He said there's even a rumor of a panther, but he hasn't seen it.

"Within reason, I think the opportunity we have here to integrate with nature is pretty special and unique," he said. "Most of the templates we're using are used in a resort setting. It's rarely used in a first-home community. What we're doing here is a bold step to take it to a first-home community."

There is also a pair of nesting bald eagles on the property, and the state Department of Natural Resources recently commended The Ponds for its conservation efforts.

"We knew we had two active nests and made sure they were in the conservation area," Morgan said. "DNR monitors them all the time. They told us we had two chicks last winter. We don't infringe on their nests, but we do see them."

Morgan said when the property is fully developed, only 1,950 homes will be built, far fewer than other neighborhoods would have with nearly 2,000 acres with which to work. Morgan said even though there will be fewer lots sold, he doesn't think Greenwood is passing up any profits, saying the idea of making money doesn't have to be at odds with being conscious of nature.

"We're capitalists. We're going to make our money," he said. "We're very careful to being sensitive to the environment. When you do quality development, it builds value over time. When you're patient and careful and give people true value, you make just as much money.

"At the end of the day, we reap a value for it."

Reach Bill Henley at 937-5433 or bhenley@postandcourier.com.