Large lot rural development is wasting our most precious resources—land and water. Another way is possible.

The concept of Conservation Villages is emerging as one of the signature ideas of the Cascade Land Conservancy and The Cascade Agenda, one that increasingly puts the organization on the map as a forward thinking, innovative organization.

Conservation Villages are compact, green-built neighborhoods of 50-200 homes with common open space located in the rural area.  We know that some development will continue to occur on non-urban lands and the conservation village idea has as its goal conserving rural land, preventing sprawl but providing a rural lifestyle for those who want it.

We have to do something very soon -- already large-lot conversion will easily consume the farms, forests and natural areas that define the central Puget Sound region’s quality of life within the next 50 years or sooner.

Conservation Village Demonstration Projects will:

• Permanently protect land by removing development potential from working landscapes and critical habitat
• Provide housing options in compact developments
• Maintain rural character through creative design and green building technologies
• Enhance resource conservation using 98% less land, 80% less water and 60% less impervious surface than traditional development.
• Ensure fairness and leverage resources through market-based strategies for conservation