New eco-development in Lansing in Tompkins County.
New eco-development takes 1st step
http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080428/NEWS01/804280323
Farm Pond Circle community plants 1,000 trees in
keeping with reforestation emphasis
By Aaron Munzer
Special to The Journal
LANSING - Right now, Farm Pond Circle is nothing
more than a driveway and 50 acres of abandoned
farm land, littered with burrs and grasses and
hedged by a run-down barn.
But Jack Jensen sees it becoming so much more - a
20-home, low-impact community similar to Ithaca's
Ecovillage, though with less of a communal living
requirement and an emphasis on reforestation and
energy-efficiency.
Jensen and a crew of about 20 volunteers with the
not-for-profit housing group Community Building
Works - including former Ithaca mayor Alan Cohen
- took the first step Saturday by planting a tree
nursery with 1,000 pine, birch and spruce trees
that will form the backbone of this residential
reforestation project.
When Jensen, a 51-year-old veteran carpenter and
architect, founded CBW last year, he had planned
to build affordable housing around the county and
abroad, but couldn't find any pre-cleared lots to
build on. So he took it upon himself to buy and
clear the old Lansing farm, and began the process
of planning a "blue collar green" community.
"It became clear that the only way we were going
to create affordable lots was to do it
ourselves," he said, taking a rest to wipe his
hands on his dirty white T-shirt. "We took a leap
of faith, and we're hoping the concept will be
attractive."
Jensen personally emptied out his retirement fund
to pay for the land - "I'm scared," he said -
because he sees it as an investment in a more
sustainable future.
The Farm Pond Circle neighborhood will include
two ponds, a communal park-like area in the
center, and a walking path around the perimeter
with tree barriers designed to block wind and for
solar shading.
The full road will go in this winter, and the
rest of the project is dependent upon planning
board approval. But the neighbors are happy, and
the Lansing town planning board seems
"enthusiastic" about his proposal, he said.
"We're not trying to compete with the Ecovillage
model, where people really want to live together
and share walls," Jensen said. "We're a different
model. (Residents) will be able to have their own
space but still be able to tap into community
amenities."
Once approved, the first four homes will be built
by CBW starting next year and then sold to
families in the Ithaca Neighborhood Housing
Service program, and the rest of the two-acre
lots will be sold to developers for around
$40,000 each. Jensen said he doesn't want
developers to build "McMansions," however, so
deed restrictions will require that houses exceed
Energy Star requirements, and will be limited to
2,400 square feet.
He said he's already heard from people interested
in becoming homeowners in the neighborhood.
"Ecovillage has been successful, White Hawk
(Ecovillage) I think is being successful, that's
a market segment of folks who want to live like
this," he said. "This is more for people who want
to be green, but don't want to spend a lot of
time talking about it."
Sheila Squier, 46, a partner in the organization
and Jensen's fiancée, worked with Neighbor Works
America for years building affordable housing
before she joined CBW. She said this project will
reach a group of people who don't qualify for
low-income housing, but could still use
assistance.
"We're trying to be kind of green and
affordable," she said. "Green (housing) should be
available to everyone. There's a need for this."
Jensen has been building houses and training
others to do the same for more than 30 years -
both across the country and for three years with
INHS. But when he traveled to Ecuador last year
to help build homes there, he was struck by how
much the rest of the world needs affordable
housing just as much as the United States does -
if not more. So for every house they build
stateside, they'll also send a group of
volunteers to a developing country to build a
house there, Jensen said.
CBW will also be refurbishing an old house under
contract with INHS starting this summer. Jensen
said that will provide funding for the first
homes at Farm Pond Circle.
Richard Spingarn, a Trumansburg resident who went
with his wife Penny to plant trees Saturday, said
he likes the project because it tackles a number
of problems at once.
"It's working for many goals, talking about
lower-income housing, reforesting and donating
overseas," he said.
Jensen's 22-year-old daughter, Jamie, has planted
tree nurseries with her dad since she was little,
she said. She said although the project will take
a long time to complete, her father is the kind
of guy who always needs to be working on
something.
"He's been wanting to do something like this for
a really long time and finally got it all
together," she said. "It's going to take up a lot
of his time, but that's what he likes to do -
work all day long, for the greater good."
Originally published April 28, 2008
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--
Elan Shapiro
Sustainable Tompkins Program Co-Chair
Sustainable Living Associates, Principal
Frog's Way B&B
211 Rachel Carson Way
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-275-0249
"We must be the change we want to see in the world"
Mohandas Gandhi
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