On an 8-acre site just southwest of the intersection at Scenic Heights Road and Eden Prairie Road, plans are moving forward to develop Eden Gardens, a first-of-its-kind environmentally friendly neighborhood in Minnesota.
The Strategic Plan for Housing and Economic Development, approved by the City Council in October 2012, identified this project as high priority. .Through a request for proposals process in 2013, Homestead Partners was selected to be the Eden Gardens developer. Now, with preliminary plans approved by the Council, work on the development is set to begin.
“We expect the Council will give final approval on this project in August,” said City Manager Rick Getschow. “If that happens, the developer plans to break ground in early September and build a model home by the end of the year.”
Within the development, each of the 36 single-family homes will be built to Minnesota’s “Green Path” certification standards, with features that include:
- High-efficiency windows, insulation, heating and air conditioning systems, appliances and lighting
- Solar-ready homes equipped for solar electricity and solar hot water panel heat, as well as sun tunnels as a passive solar lighting option.
- In-garage electric roughed-in for car charging stations
- Low-volatile organic compound paint options, recycled insulation and finger-jointed lumber
- Eco-lawns for minimal watering and mowing, and optional paver walkways for improved groundwater recharge
“We’ve seen strong interest from potential homeowners,” said Getschow. “Nearly all of the lots within the development have already been reserved.”
In addition to the homes within it, the neighborhood itself will be developed with environmentally friendly strategies, including:
- Narrower street sections to reduce impervious surfaces
- Rain gardens and bio-swales to reduce and manage stormwater runoff
- High-shade streets to minimize the heat island effect
- Eco-lawns and drought-tolerant plantings in common green spaces to eliminate dependency on irrigation and minimize the need for mowing
- Permeable pavers on a park shelter sidewalk, to allow for groundwater recharge
- High-efficiency LED street lights and solar pathway lighting to limit light pollution and energy consumption
The Eden Gardens common area will also feature recycled plastic park furniture, a park shelter equipped with solar panels and a green roof, as well as community garden plots to create an environmentally friendly community gathering spot, and promote the consumption of locally grown food.
“We’re extremely proud of the fact that Eden Gardens will be the first-ever Green Path-certified neighborhood in Minnesota,” said Getschow. “There are hundreds of Green Path certified homes throughout the state, but this will be the first entirely certified neighborhood.”
