a Traditional 21st Century Pennsylvania Town
INTRODUCTION
Bryn Eyre [brin AIR] is derived from a Welsh phrase meaning Eagle Hill. Bryn Eyre is named for two bald eagles that nest nearby and frequent its hills and lakes.
Bryn Eyre –
In the next few pages, we will explore:
a Traditional 21st-Century Pennsylvania Town
The Vision for Bryn Eyre .................................................................................2
A new town is coming to Southern Berks County that will build upon the tradition of Pennsylvania’s historic towns such as West Chester, Wayne and Doylestown. Bryn Eyre will bring together homes, jobs, schools, houses of worship, parks, services and shopping, all within a short walk of each other. With old town charm and modern amenities, the town of Bryn Eyre will provide an exciting new community choice for Pennsylvanians. Bryn Eyre will offer significant benefits to the state, the region and the county. It will reclaim a brownfield and an abandoned mine site, preserve hundreds of acres of open space and concentrate new development within Berks County’s largest targeted growth area. It will house more people on less land thus limiting sprawl and taking development pressure off surrounding communities. Bryn Eyre’s close-knit town design will reduce the cost of providing infrastructure (roads and utilities) and delivering services (police and fire) while providing a mix of homes, retail and offices that will create a positive fiscal impact for the borough, county and school district.
To create a distinctive, exceptionally livable town in Southern Berks County where a variety of homes, shops and offices radiate from parks and plazas and where pedestrian connections and amenities abound.
The Need for Bryn Eyre ..................................................................................6 With adjacent communities reaching completion and land becoming scarce in Chester, Montgomery and Lancaster Counties, Southern Berks County is projected to face significant development pressure in the coming years. The changing demographics of the tri-county region’s housing consumers will require a variety of different housing choices.
The Benefits of Bryn Eyre................................................................................8
This walkable town of homes, stores and offices built on a former Bethlehem Steel site will provide a positive fiscal impact to the borough and the school district while consuming far less land than conventional subdivisions. It will also reduce automobile dependence and preserve permanent open space and animal habitats.
The Success of New Towns Across the Country ..........................................15 The Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance (DVSGA) and the Berks County Smart Growth Alliance have recognized the Bryn Eyre plan for implementing smart growth principles through innovative design. The DVSGA recognized Bryn Eyre for fostering regional growth and redevelopment in a manner that achieves important economic, environmental and quality of life objectives. The Berks County Smart Growth Alliance commended the Bryn Eyre plan for innovative design elements, including effective preservation of substantial acres of open space, reuse of a former industrial site, provision of mixed land uses and design of a walkable community.
Several hundred newly constructed traditional towns prosper in communities across the United States. From the Kentlands in Maryland to Celebration and Seaside in Florida to Verrado in Arizona, they all share principles of planning and design that work to create vibrant, compact, walkable communities.
The People Behind Bryn Eyre ........................................................................17 Arcadia Land Company based in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and Carlino Development Group of Berks County have joined forces to develop Bryn Eyre. Arcadia is a leader in building new, walkable towns and villages, and Carlino is one of Berks County’s leading development organizations.
THE VISION FOR BRYN EYRE Community Choice Convenience Conservation
To create a distinctive, exceptionally livable town in Southern Berks County where a variety of homes, shops and offices radiate from parks and plazas and where pedestrian connections and amenities abound. The town of Bryn Eyre will be a very special place — the first new Pennsylvania town in several decades. Patterned after Pennsylvania’s best-loved boroughs, this 21st-century traditional town will integrate the key destinations of daily life within a short walking distance, weaving together homes, shops and offices to provide a complete community fabric. A distinctive town center with a town hall, shopping and restaurants will form the town core. Parks, plazas and town squares located a short stroll from every home will provide a place for neighbors to sit and read, walk with their babies or just talk with friends. As the town develops its own events and traditions, families will gather with picnic baskets and blankets to enjoy a concert or cinema in the park or 4th of July fireworks.
These long-standing, important elements of town building will give Bryn Eyre the sense of community that was once the defining characteristic of American small town life. Bryn Eyre’s homes will be designed to satisfy the needs of all ages and lifestyles. From single-family homes with deep front porches, to brick-faced townhouses with quiet rear gardens, to comfortable apartments with views of Bryn Eyre’s lakes, housing options will be provided for a diverse mix of residents. Sidewalks and bike trails will be part of virtually every road, and nature trails will fan out across acres of preserved open space making it not only possible to walk to school, shops and work, but also desirable to do so. The beauty of the community’s design, the attractive homes and buildings, as well as the safe sidewalks and trails will entice Bryn Eyre residents outdoors. From their morning newspaper and coffee to the sunset over the lakes, they will find incentives everywhere to get out of their cars and walk or bike. While Bryn Eyre will have old-fashioned charm, its location at the intersection of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 176 offers extraordinary access to jobs, large retailers and metropolitan amenities. Community, choice, convenience and conservation will be four gifts Bryn Eyre will share with town residents.
At Bryn Eyre, we understand that building community is about more than putting up buildings: it is about bringing people together. Offering a variety of attractive and inviting destinations where residents can gather will foster this strong sense of community. Bryn Eyre residents will know their neighbors because: Children will walk to school and play in the park together. Town squares and plazas are good places to make friends. Ball fields, playgrounds, swimming pools and recreation centers provide opportunities to socialize while keeping fit. By offering so many amenities, we will encourage people to leave their homes, turn off the TV or computer and join the community.
Bryn Eyre will offer all types of formal and informal social interactions, as well as the opportunity for residents to enjoy their privacy whenever they desire it.
A sense of neighborhood reminiscent of bygone days
community 4
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The Town of Bryn Eyre will include the Key Elements of a Classic Pennsylvania Town. The vision for Bryn Eyre includes being a good neighbor to our surrounding townships, our county and our region. The areas once occupied by Bethlehem Steel’s Grace Mine will be reclaimed. Concentrated development patterns will relieve development pressure on surrounding communities and permanently preserve over 1,000 acres of open space within New Morgan Borough. Bryn Eyre also will create economic growth through the addition of a major new job center with easy access to the turnpike and much needed new housing alternatives. Bryn Eyre will benefit the entire region.
Town Center:
Public and Civic Spaces:
Homes:
The plans for Bryn Eyre call for an architecturally interesting town center with the Main Street feel of West Chester, Wayne or Doylestown. The town center will provide a diverse set of amenities from a town hall, to a possible post office and library, to specialty and convenience shops and restaurants. Housing will also be placed above and beside retail shops for those who like to be in the center of things.
Beautifully landscaped town squares, parks, community centers, trails, lake walkways, athletic fields, pools and playgrounds will offer residents unique opportunities to interact with their neighbors a short walk from home. These spaces will offer a place for reading, relaxing, flying a kite, throwing a Frisbee and meeting and greeting neighbors.
Real choices that have been absent from much of the housing market will be provided. We will craft flexible residential space – lofts, condominiums, townhouses and apartments — to meet the needs of singles, empty nesters and families who seek a more urban experience, as well as detached, single-family homes for those who seek the feel of a town with the added privacy of a detached home. With a wide variety of housing types and architectural styles, we will create interesting streetscapes devoted to the pedestrian – with auto-dependent features such as garages tucked behind the houses.
“Your home doesn’t have to stop at the end of the driveway. A well-designed town extends your daily life and activities to the dynamic community around you.” W. Joseph Duckworth, President of Arcadia Land Company
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choice Community Choice Convenience Conservation
Network Of Walking Trails And Pathways:
Walkable Schools:
District Center:
We have set aside four parcels of land for neighborhood schools with adjoining athletic fields to meet the needs of the community’s children. The three elementary school sites, located within a half-mile radius from most homes, along with the centrally located middle school, will be a part of the respected Twin Valley School District.1 Walkable schools, a common neighborhood feature before 1980, will both decrease morning traffic volume by 20 to 30% and add physical activity into the children’s day — so necessary at a time when the number of overweight children ages 6 to 11 has risen 300%.2
To achieve a strong tax base, Byrn Eyre will need employers. A later phase of construction in the area closest to the turnpike exit will mix professional offices, regional retail and residential homes into an energetic district center. A neighboring area will offer flex-office space and accommodate light industrial uses. Bryn Eyre’s high quality of life, strategic location with excellent turnpike access and complete on-site facilities will attract a diverse employment base.
An extensive trail network will wind throughout Bryn Eyre providing opportunities for healthy exercise while increasing the safety and serenity of residents by separating pedestrians from traffic. In time, Bryn Eyre’s trails will connect to and include the state’s Horseshoe Trail, which runs from Valley Forge Park to the Appalachian Trail, and a portion of the County’s proposed Hay Creek Trail, a 10-mile walking and biking trail that would extend from the Chester County line to Birdsboro.
“Berks County neighborhoods have a distinctive character. In many communities, the corner market, laundromat, church, and eating place are all within walking distance, interspersed with residences. The County’s goal is to keep that sense of close community and incorporate that philosophy into new subdivisions.”
New Morgan Borough’s History Bethlehem Steel originally assembled the land that makes up New Morgan Borough for iron ore mining. In the late 1940s, Bethlehem, using a new technique called aeromagnetic surveying, originally developed in World War II to hunt submarines, located a large iron ore deposit in the area. After drilling confirmed the presence of the iron ore, Bethlehem purchased several thousand acres of land in Caernarvon and Robeson townships and operated the Grace Mine there for 25 years before closing in 1977. In 1986, a decade after the Grace Mine closed, the property was purchased from Bethlehem Steel and was later incorporated as a new municipality named New Morgan Borough. In 2004, Arcadia Land Company, known nationally for building traditional neighborhood developments, and Carlino Development Group, a leading Berks County developer, formed a partnership and bought this land to create a new town.
Vision 2020, A Comprehensive Plan for the County of Berks
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convenience Community Choice Convenience Conservation
An Exciting Mix of People
An Enviable Location
Powerful demographic and social trends are reshaping housing market preferences. Housing consumer surveys, as well as the experience of new towns across the country, demonstrate a strong and varied market for Bryn Eyre. Potential residents include single professionals and young married couples who appreciate the friendliness of the community as well as the affordability of the homes; couples who have children and like the safety of the pedestrian-oriented setting and the opportunities for companionship with other young families; and seniors and empty nesters who appreciate lowmaintenance living.
Bryn Eyre is conveniently located at the crossroads of Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties. It is situated at the intersection of three major highways: the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Morgantown exit #22), Interstate 176 and State Route 10.
Market preference studies also show a demand for walkable communities that far exceeds supply.3 A 2004 National Association of Home Builders survey showed 49% of people surveyed prefer a small home with more amenities such as parks and trails to a larger home without these amenities.4 Over half of seniors and young professionals age 24 to 34 preferred small-lot housing with access to stores and doctors.
COMMUTE TIMES TO MAJOR JOB CENTERS:
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Downingtown – Great Valley – King of Prussia –
13.7 miles 13 minutes 20.7 miles 19 minutes 28 miles 26 minutes
A Well-Designed, Thoughtfully Planned Community Detailed community plans designed by one of the nation’s premier planning firms — EDAW — define the community and all its parts. Design, planning and conservation experts have helped us identify the scale, character, community infrastructure, open space and civic buildings Bryn Eyre will possess. Specifics as to how each individual parcel will be used, the building materials and the exact mix of houses, office and retail space will be determined as development proceeds and the needs of specific buyers are known.
The transformation of this area into an established town will take at least 20 years to complete. As each new building is constructed, each new home is filled and each new common space designed, the quality of life that Bryn Eyre offers will just keep getting better.
Berks County Population and Projections
Need for 30,000 new housing units From 1990 to 2000, Berks County grew by 11% while Pennsylvania as a whole grew only 3.4%. By 2030, Berks County’s population is expected to increase by at least 20% to approximately 450,000 people. Almost 30,000 new housing units will be needed to accommodate these new residents. This means that 20% of the homes needed in 2030 do not exist in Berks County today.5
00 01 02
6,068 0
446,582 400
Jobs Declined Since 2 While Population Incr 2004 545 1,649 1,731 1,682
03 04
421,304
300
446,582
114
397,537
200
421,304
Berks County Total New Units
373,638
0 100 In thousands
397,537
Developers, recognizing Southern Berks County’s 0 100 200 300 400 500 In thousands relatively low-cost land, proximity to Montgomery and Chester clusters and projected need for 73,000County Newjob Residents new housing, begun buying up land. In 2004, Coming to have Berks County more residential subdivision proposals were submitted to Berks County than in the past four years combined.
Berks County Population and Projections 2000 2010 2020 2030
Berks County is projected to grow 20% by 2030. The county’s challenge is to accommodate this new growth without risking its rural character and farmland to sprawling development. To meet this challenge, Berks County and its municipalities have made a commitment to direct development to areas that make sense for growth such as its cities and boroughs and to invite compact, walkable communities that use less land and create “friendly living.” Bryn Eyre shares that commitment.
2000 2010 2020 2030
THE NEED FOR BRYN EYRE
373,638
110
2003
108 106 2002
104
1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 102
Berks County Residential Subdivision Proposals Skyrocketed in 2004
500
Berks County E Berks County P
112
100 2001
98 96
Caernarvon Township is growing so1993 1994 rapidly that township officials believe “this explosive growth will likely continue over the next few years until all developable residential zones are built out.” 94
1,649 1,731 1,682 6,068 0
1995
1999
1998
2004
— The Southern Berks Regional Comprehensive Plan 1997
2003
1 0 21996 0 30 40 2002
1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
Berks County Residential
2000
0 30 20 10
Southeastern Pennsylvania is the fastest-growing areaBerks of theCounty state. Almost half of all homes sold Total New Units in Pennsylvania in 2004 were located in the Philadelphia and Reading545 metropolitan areas.6
03 04
Berks County Vision Statement, Vision 2020, A Comprehensive Plan for the County of Berks
Source: Berks County Planning Commission, 2003
00 01 02
“Berks County will protect its rich agricultural land and open spaces from suburbanization, expand its parks and trail systems and promote the settlement of its burgeoning 21st Century population in a redesigned Reading and in boroughs and townships planned to emphasize higher density, more intimate walkingbiking [and] friendly living.”
73,000 New Residents Coming to Berks County
61995 2001
The Consequences of Sprawl The additional environmental, economic and social consequences of sprawling, fast-paced growth are staggering. They include the following: Rising property taxes as infrastructure and services must be extended farther out to meet new development.7 Greater traffic congestion, increased asthma and other respiratory ailments as a result of poorer air quality and rising obesity as more auto-dependent communities are built with long distances between houses, stores and offices. Loss of forests, wetlands, animal habitats and meadows – the elements that constitute much of Berks County’s beautiful countryside. Increased stormwater runoff and flooding as impervious surfaces increase.
ounty ion and Projections
Need for Planned, Predictable Community-Building That Protects Farms and Open Space from Suburbanization
Need To Increase the Jobs Available to Berks County Residents
In the last 15 years, Pennsylvania lost 420,000 acres of farmland to development at a time when there were an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 brownfields available for redevelopment.8 Why? Because it is easier and less expensive to develop farmland than to redevelop older industrial sites. The easy way, however, is not the best way for Berks County and its municipalities. In 2000, developers converted 2,700 acres of Berks County farmland to 545 residential units – an average of five acres to each housing unit.9 If we continue these patterns, it will require 150,000 acres and the loss of 70% of Berks County’s remaining 215,679 acres of farmland to accommodate the 30,000 new units Berks County needs.10
Need for Diverse Housing Choices
Since 2000, Berks County’s population has continued to grow while employment has dropped. A competitive Berks County needs business growth and job development. Bryn Eyre offers a strategic location for office and light-industrial development because of its close proximity to the turnpike and its ready access to the Philadelphia and New York City regions. In addition to the office and retail uses proposed in the town center and throughout the community, we are planning a mixed use district center in the southernmost part of Bryn Eyre that will accommodate a diverse set of employers and up to 15,000 workers. We are committed to bringing new jobs to Berks County.
Source: Initiative for a Competitive Greater Reading Data Report citing Census Bureau and Pennsylvania Department of Labor data.
Jobs Declined Since 2000 While Population Increased 114
Generic development that is scattered in a random fashion on whatever land becomes 373,638 available. 397,537
Berks County Employment Berks County Population
112 110 108 106 104
421,304
102 100
446,582
98
200
300
400
New Residents 7 o Berks County
500
96 94 1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Berks County’s changing demographics are creating a need for new housing and community choices. For 50 years, families with children drove Pennsylvania’s housing industry. But now, married couples with children make up less than 25 percent of Pennsylvania’s households. Pennsylvania’s fastestgrowing households are young professionals, empty nesters, single parents, couples without children and seniors. This diverse group of Pennsylvanians needs a range of community choices with different levels of density and amenities. At varying stages of their lives, they may want a single-family, detached home, a townhouse, a condominium, an apartment, a loft, or a flexible live/work space. At Bryn Eyre, we will provide these varied types of housing in a great enough quantity to keep prices competitive.
Berks County’s growth presents an opportunity and a choice. We can build large-lot, suburban, tract homes on farmland OR we can encourage higher-density town development on brownfields and infill properties that use land and finite resources wisely. We think the choice is clear, and the choice is Bryn Eyre.
THE BENEFITS OF BRYN EYRE Bryn Eyre will:
Bryn Eyre offers significant benefits to New Morgan Borough, Berks County and the State of Pennsylvania.
Reclaim the county’s largest brownfield and be located in a designated growth area.
Embody the Environmental Protection Agency’s ten smart growth principles.
Offer diverse housing choices to meet workforce needs.
Provide a positive fiscal impact to the state, county and borough.
Preserve and protect the natural environment.
Reduce auto trips, traffic congestion and impervious surfaces.
House more people on less land.
Conserve and contribute to the region’s rich history and abundant natural resource amenities.
Create new recreational amenities for Berks County residents.
Berks County’s Vision 2020 calls for smart growth development and Bryn Eyre answers that call. Bryn Eyre will embody the EPA’s ten smart growth principles cited in Berks County Vision 2020.
Mix land uses: The town of Bryn Eyre will include homes, stores, office space and parks. The community will afford its residents the opportunity to live, shop, work and play within its borders.
Take advantage of compact building design: An attractive feature of Pennsylvania’s towns is the opportunity to live in proximity to your neighbors, creating a stronger sense of community.
Create a range of housing opportunities and choices: We will provide housing choices that have been absent from much of the market. We will craft flexible residential space – lofts, condominiums, townhouses and apartments – to meet the needs of singles, empty nesters and families who seek a more urban experience, as well as detached, single-family homes.
Create walkable neighborhoods:
Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place:
In Bryn Eyre, every street will be lined with pedestrian sidewalks and a network of nature trails will weave throughout the town. Perhaps most importantly, Bryn Eyre will provide interesting pedestrian destinations from schools to shops to offices.
Bryn Eyre will borrow distinctive traits from Pennsylvania’s historic towns and add many of its own. By blending old and new, Bryn Eyre will introduce an attractive and exciting community choice never before seen in Pennsylvania.
Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas: Of the 3,100 acres in Bryn Eyre, more than 1,000 acres will be preserved as open space.
Strengthen and direct development toward existing communities: New Morgan Borough, although barely developed, has much of the infrastructure of an existing community already in place from its turnpike access to its underutilized water and sewer capacity.
Provide a variety of transportation choices: In its initial phases, Bryn Eyre will offer the options of automobile travel, walking or biking. As the population grows, public transit may be extended and private shuttle options created linking Bryn Eyre to the area’s major employment clusters and attractions.
Make development decisions predictable, fair and cost effective: Bryn Eyre is a master-planned community. Built within a Planned Residential Development (PRD) zoning district, Bryn Eyre’s master plan offers New Morgan Borough the rare opportunity to review at one time all proposed future private and public land uses, as well as plans showing the location of buildings, open space, public facilities and street patterns.
Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions: In the course of planning the new town of Bryn Eyre, we have had numerous discussions with state, county and borough officials. We will continue to actively seek out stakeholders to share our plans and solicit their opinions.
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Sidewalks and trees will line every street providing walkers with safe, sheltered and beautiful paths away from automobile traffic.
The Experience of Living in Bryn Eyre Will Most Closely
Homes will b distance of s shop, work a
Like those historic places we admire, our neighborhoods will be walkable places with a mixture of home types and modern amenities covering a broad price range.
Resemble our Experience in Pennsylvania’s Traditional Towns
Families strolling down Main Street … workers eating lunch in nearby parks … children walking on sidewalks to and from schools …
a community in which we live our lives.
Bryn Eyre will be built upon the fine tradition of Pennsylvania’s histori
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be within walking schools and places to and recreate.
Centrally located parks will form the heart of the community. These parks will be a neighborhood meeting place — at times a quiet contemplative space and at other times filled with activity.
Offices will be included within the community, reducing some residents’ commute to work to a pleasant walk. Bryn Eyre will be built in part on industrial and mining land. By reclaiming mine land and by concentrating development in closeknit neighborhoods with modest lot sizes, Bryn Eyre will preserve more than 1,000 acres of open space within the borough and reduce development pressure on farmland and open space in neighboring communities.
The town will be nestled within green space and woods. Natural features will create a border around the town offering many homes extraordinary views of the town’s lake, woods and ridges.
ic towns.
From neighborhood schools to a town hall, Bryn Eyre will have all the attributes of a small town.
A network of peaceful trails and paths also will run throughout the natural landscape at Bryn Eyre.
Bryn Eyre will be built for people but will accommodate cars. Wherever possible, garages will be tucked behind homes and parking lots behind businesses to invigorate street life.
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Bryn Eyre will be located in the largest designated-growth area in Berks County and will reclaim the Grace Mine brownfield site. Planners, not developers, chose New Morgan Borough to accommodate the county’s growth needs. Reclaiming the Grace Mine brownfield site will unlock the economic potential and natural beauty of thousands of acres of land. Abandoned mines are part of the legacy of Pennsylvania’s industrial past. Left idle and unmanaged for decades, these brownfields represent a significant loss of economic opportunity and in many cases harm the quality of life in surrounding communities. At Bryn Eyre, we are committed to cleaning up the past and building the future. We will transform the Bethlehem Steel abandoned mining site into an economically productive, environmentally healthy and socially vibrant community center.
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Bryn Eyre will provide a positive fiscal impact to the state, county and borough. The town of Bryn Eyre will produce an estimated 32,000 new jobs and will inject millions of dollars in wages and tax revenue into the local economy. The 20-year construction phase of Bryn Eyre will generate approximately 17,400 jobs, producing close to $570 million in wages and $290 million in local, state and federal taxes according to a respected economic impact tool created by the National Association of Home Builders.11 The town center and mixed-use campus within the district center will house 16,000 permanent office, lightindustrial and retail jobs as well.12
New property and job gains will provide positive revenues to the Twin Valley School District. The town of Bryn Eyre at completion will include an estimated 12,500 homes and 3,600 public-school children.13 Given the mix of house types and the inclusion of retail, office parks, open space and smaller units designed for households without children, Bryn Eyre will provide an annual net gain to the school district of over $20 million at completion.14
In addition, the close-knit development patterns planned for Bryn Eyre will limit the expense of providing and maintaining infrastructure and services. Extensive research tells us that town development saves up to 25% of the cost to build roads, utilities and schools compared to large-lot, suburban subdivisions.15 Taxpayer expense to provide government services such as police and fire is also reduced where development is concentrated near existing infrastructure rather than being scattered throughout the jurisdiction.
Berks County Vision 2020 The Future Land Use Plan
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1999
Mall
Town Grid Street Patterns 1994
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Apts
Houses
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School
Bryn Eyre will reduce auto trips, traffic congestion and impervious surfaces.
Apts Mall School
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The answer is to bring our daily destinations, work, schools, church, day care and shopping, closer together 2004so that many needs are fulfilled within the community.18 Transportation planners estimate that 40% of residents’ trips will be “internally captured” 2003 and will no longer need to leave the community.19
Bryn Eyre will minimize impervious surfaces and cause 40% less runoff than conventional suburban subdivision development.20 Paved surfaces such as parking lots, rooftops and roads do not allow water to permeate the surface so that soil and vegetation can filter out contaminants. As a result, pollutants pool on these surfaces and then run off directly into our streams. The best prescription for limiting runoff — combining dense development with large open spaces and integrating permeable surfaces with paved areas (such as placing a rain garden in 2002 2003 the median of larger roads) — forms a key design element at Bryn Eyre.
Source: Presentation of Allen D. Biehler, Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary to the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (June 14, 2005).
In order to increase safety, Bryn Eyre’s neighborhood streets will be narrow. Studies have shown that optimum street safety — the lowest number of traffic accidents and fatalities — is achieved when the street is 24 feet wide. Narrow streets cause drivers to instinctively slow down. Wherever possible, we will narrow our neighborhood roads to ensure the safety of our residents.
24-foot-wide streets are safest
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500
Jobs Declined Since 2000
Residential density is the number one determinant of Population Bryn Eyre’s grid street pattern also will noticeably While Increased household vehicle-miles traveled. By locating homes, reduce traffic congestionTown by providing alternate 114 Grid Street Patterns 1994 Berks County Employment shops, schools, parks and offices within walking112 routes in and out of the community rather than Berks County Population distance, Bryn Eyre gives residents the option to110 connecting a series of cul de sacs to one collector 108 walk or cycle to complete errands with safety and road. By reducing travel delay and engine idle time, 1993 106 convenience. As a result, town residents will be the community will improve air quality. 104 able to minimize their car travel far below the national Apts Mall 102 average of 13 car trips a day.16 The answer to our School 100 Houses active, overscheduled lives is not to adopt the car98 as the central family meeting place as Chrysler 96 spokeswoman Lauren Vidovich suggests: "Just as94 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 the dining room table used to be the main place to meet… the vehicle itself is [now] the meeting place.17
Houses
Street Typology and Injury Accidents: Raw Data and Regression 10
Source: Residential Street Typology and Injury Accident Frequency, Swift and Associates (1999), examining the safest residential street form.
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Accidents/Mile/Year
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Conventional Suburban Cul de Sac Street Patterns
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34 36 38 40 Street Width (ft)
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12 Mall 1998
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hile Population Increased Berks County Employment Berks County Population
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We will build an average of five homes on each acre. Compared to Berks County’s recent 1994 1995 1996 1999 development patterns,1997 this will1998 conserve up to 2000 four acres for each home built as well as additional acreage that is typically paved to service these large-lot homes.21
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Mall
A football field is roughly one acre. Suburban subdivision development typically places one house on each acre. There are no public amenities or civic spaces. Any green space is the owner’s responsibility and only that one household can use it. In contrast, Apts place five to ten homes per acre traditional towns Houses with sidewalks on each side of the street and still have plenty of room left over for a playground or park.
Conventional Suburban 13 Patterns Cul de Sac Street
School
Bryn Eyre will preserve and protect the Bryn Eyre will conserve and contribute to the region’s rich history and natural environment. abundant natural resource amenities including Bryn Eyre’s lakes and Bryn Eyre has an environmentally sensitive site plan. streams, Joanna Furnace, and Pennsylvania’s Horseshoe Trail. Over 1,000 of the 3,100 acres will be preserved as 2002 2003 natural landscape or green civic spaces. Our plan also calls for state-of-the-art environmental design practices to:
The largest of Bryn Eyre’s three lakes is an important birding area valued by the Pennsylvania Audubon Society. This lake, originally created as a tailings pond for Grace Mine, is an attractive breeding ground and feeding area for several bird species. We will work to protect much of this critical bird habitat.
2001
Preserve ecosystems and endangered species’ habitat. Conserve wetlands.
Street Typology and Injury Accidents:
Set aside land for open spaces/greenways/trails. Raw Data and Regression We also are committed to the preservation 10 and enhancement of the Joanna Furnace, a Restore and enhance damaged lands. key historic asset listed on the National Register Create energy-efficient buildings.8 of Historic Places. This cold-blast, charcoal iron furnace built in 1791 borders Bryn Eyre. Limit auto-dependence. 6 Faithfully restored by the Hay Creek Valley Historical Use progressive stormwater-management practices Association, the site is a beautiful spot for gatherings, to preserve the watersheds. 4 including the popular Fall and Apple Festivals. Design landscaping to enhance the environmental qualities and beauty of the site. 2
In addition, Bryn Eyre proposes to include portions of two long-distance trails within its borders, the longstanding Horseshoe Trail and the proposed Hay Creek Trail. Pennsylvania’s Horseshoe Trail is a 140mile trail that offers walking and biking access from Valley Forge National Historic Park through Berks, Chester, Dauphin, Lancaster and Lebanon counties to where it meets up with the Appalachian Trail just north of Hershey. The proposed Hay Creek Trail would stretch from Elverson to Birdsboro along the bed of an abandoned railway.
Accidents/Mile/Year
Bryn Eyre will house more people on less land.
Minimize impervious surfaces such as asphalt that 0 reduce the ability of the ground to absorb 20 22rainwater 24 30 and the ability of streams to maintain their proper life cycle. Every year, Pennsylvania loses 1,200 acres of sensitive wetlands to development. At Bryn Eyre we will work to preserve much of our wetlands in recognition of their importance for flood control, species habitat and pollutant removal.22
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Bryn Eyre will create new residential amenities for Berks County residents.
Bryn Eyre will offer diverse housing choices to meet the tri-county area’s workforce needs. Homeownership, a cornerstone of suburban life, is out of reach for an increasing number of working Chester and Lancaster County households. In these counties, home sale prices are often too high for young families, teachers, police and other professionals to afford. Bryn Eyre will offer a range of homes at competitive prices that much of the tri-county region's diverse workforce can buy or rent.
How wonderful it would be to live in the kind of beautiful and serene place that people come to visit on weekends! Bryn Eyre is that kind of place, offering a weekend retreat for Berks County residents. Go bird-watching at the lake. Hike on nature trails through beautiful countryside. Come fly a kite or sit and enjoy a day in the park. Bryn Eyre will provide exciting new recreational amenities to the county.
Bryn Eyre has been carefully designed to enhance the fiscal, environmental and social health of the borough, state and county.
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THE SUCCESS OF NEW TOWNS ACROSS THE COUNTRY New towns, while still a tiny percentage of suburban development, are prospering in communities across the United States. Several hundred of these traditional towns have been built or are under construction, and they all share principles of planning and architecture that work to create humanscale, walkable communities within the architectural styles of their regions.
New towns have proven market strength.
Because new towns offer a rich community lifestyle that subdivisions cannot, homes and properties in well-designed new towns have sold quickly and appreciated at a faster rate than standard tract housing. Where the town offers street connectivity, mixed land use, neighborhood parks, nearness to transit, and housing, shopping and jobs in close proximity, homeowners have experienced up to 21% higher appreciation than owners of similar houses in conventional suburban subdivisions.23 This is not a new phenomenon. In Pennsylvania, we have always valued our towns. In fact, our highest median-value homes are located in our older first-class townships.24
Seaside: Seaside, Florida, was developed by Arcadia's Robert Davis and designed by architects/new urbanists Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyber in 1981. On 80 acres of Panhandle coastline, Seaside has become internationally famous for its architecture, the quality of its streets and public spaces. Today demand is so high that Seaside’s larger homes sell for over $1 million.
http://www.seasidefl.com
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Kentlands:
Celebration:
I'On:
Verrado:
Kentlands offers 1,500 residential units on 353 acres. Located 11 miles northwest of the Washington, D.C. beltway in the city of Gaithersburg, Maryland, Kentlands is perhaps the most-studied new town in the world. Researchers have documented how living at Kentlands improved residents’ lives by creating a stronger sense of community and reducing auto dependency.
Florida’s Celebration was founded in 1994 on Disneyowned land used previously to house alligators caught near Disney guest areas. The town drew its design and feel from attractive, appealing towns such as Savannah, Georgia; Nantucket, Massachusetts; and Charleston, South Carolina. The Walt Disney Company developed this planned community to offer townhouses, apartments, condominiums, bungalows and estate homes within each neighborhood. Celebration also has its own health center and charter school.
I’On, a traditional pedestrian-oriented neighborhood located 10 minutes from historic Charleston, South Carolina, offers 759 housing units, as well as commercial and public spaces. I'On was given the 1999 Stewardship Award by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for its wildlife habitat protection and environmentally sensitive site plan and was selected as Best Community in the Nation by “Professional Builder” magazine.
Verrado, an 8,800-acre master-planned community in Buckeye, Arizona, opened in January 2004. The community centers around a Main Street composed of shops, restaurants and a golf course. Many homes are within walking distance of the town center, and all homes are within two blocks of a park.
http://www.kentlands.org
http://www.verrado.com/index.php
http://www.ionvillage.com/
http://www.celebrationfl.com/
Examples of new towns built on the same principles as Bryn Eyre
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THE PEOPLE BEHIND BRYN EYRE Arcadia Land Company is a national leader in building new towns. The People Working To Create Bryn Eyre Are National Leaders In Building New, Walkable Communities.
Arcadia Land Company “Town Builders & Land Stewards,
was formed to create walkable neighborhoods in harmony with nature. Inspired by great old towns like Annapolis, Santa Fe and West Chester and great new towns like Seaside (developed by Arcadia’s Robert Davis), Celebration and Kentlands, Arcadia develops distinctive, master-planned, mixed-use communities.
W. Joseph Duckworth is the Arcadia partner overseeing the
development of the new town. Joe was named National Builder Of The Year by “Professional Builder” magazine in 1992. Joe knows about good planning and strong communities. He was formerly the Chairman of the Chester County Planning Commission and sits on the Board of Trustees of the Natural Lands Trust and 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania. He is the former President and CEO of Realen Homes, one of largest builders of residential communities in the Philadelphia and Chicago markets. Joe also understands the need to create great civic spaces, as he is on the Board of Trustees of the greatly acclaimed National Constitution Center and was chair of the Architectural Design and Selection Committee that was instrumental in the creation of Philadelphia’s new great civic amenity.
Clay L. Chandler, a Vice President with Arcadia and President
of Arcadia’s Bryn Eyre Division, is responsible for planning, development and project management. Clay received a degree in architecture and planning from the University of Pennsylvania and has more than 20 years experience in real estate development, most recently as Director of Heritage Building Group’s Premiere Properties and as Principal of Chandler & Associates, a real estate planning and development firm. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute.
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Carlino Development Group builds communities that have a unique and distinctive sense of place. Carlino Development Group, based in Wyomissing, Berks County, is a respected real estate development company specializing in the creation and development of planned residential communities and commercial office properties. The company has been active with numerous commercial and residential development projects in southeastern Pennsylvania since 1982. Carlino Development Group focuses on creating planned communities that integrate civic, recreation, office, retail and homes allowing people to learn, play, work, shop and live all within their community. Peter M. Carlino founded and serves as Chairman of Carlino Development Group. He also serves as Chairman and CEO of Penn National Gaming, Inc., a public company trading on the NASDAQ market. Peter is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and serves on the boards of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Mooring Financial Corporation. Stephen J. Najarian is a Director of Carlino Development
Group and has been active with the company since 1988. He is a graduate of the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Steve serves as Chairman of the St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation Board. He is a former Board Chairman of the Olivet Boys and Girls Club of Berks County and a founding member of Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Steve also serves on the Board of the Lancaster Country Day School.
The information in this publication is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of the time of printing. We anticipate that certain plans and facts may change during the development process. Please go to our website at www.bryneyre.com for updated information. The materials represented herein are proprietary in nature and may not be reproduced without the express written consent of Bryn Eyre, L.P. Bryn Eyre is a service mark of Bryn Eyre, LP. Author: Karen Black, May 8 Consulting, Inc. Photographer: Blair Seitz Design: Maskar Design, Philadelphia
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Seven municipalities in Berks and Chester counties form the Twin Valley School District. In Chester County it serves Honey Brook and Elverson boroughs and Honey Brook and West Natmeal townships. In Berks County the district serves Caernarvon Township, Robeson Township and New Morgan Borough. Center for Neighborhood Technology Update (June 2005). Myers and Gearin, Future Demand For High Density Living, Housing Policy Debate, Volume 12, Issue 4 (2001). Housing Facts, Figures and Trends, National Association of Home Builders (2004). Southern Berks Regional Comprehensive Plan; Arthur C. Nelson, Toward a New Metropolis: The Opportunity To Rebuild America, Brookings Institution (Dec 2004).
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U.S. Housing Market Conditions 1st Quarter 2005, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Policy and Research (May 2005). County And Municipal Real Estate Tax Levies For 2000 Rise By 2.4 Percent Since Last Year And By 37.7 Percent In The Past Five Years, Pennsylvania Economy League - Central Division (May 2000). Brownfields, Patriot-News (February 16, 2004). In 2000, developers requested permits to build 545 housing units on 2,729 acres with an average of five acres per unit according to Berks County Planning Commission Annual Subdivision Reports. United States Department of Agriculture 2002 U.S. Census of Agriculture. Housing’s Direct Economic Impact, National Association of Home Builders Website http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?sectionID=138&g enericContentID=543 downloaded October 21, 2005. Projections of Job Creation prepared by David C. Babbitt & Associates, LLC (October 2005).
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The demographic multipliers (school-age children per unit) are taken from the American Housing Survey as reported in the 1994 ULI book Development Impact Assessment Handbook. The demographic multipliers are then further modified by subtracting 10% to account for those students who will attend private schools or be schooled at home. The multipliers for the age-targeted dwelling types are further reduced by 75%. In general, the demographic multipliers from the AHS are too high, but they are the best figures available. Twin Valley School District Fiscal Impact Analysis prepared by David C. Babbitt & Associates, LLC (September 2005); Timothy W. Kelsey, Fiscal Impacts of Different Land Uses: The Pennsylvania Experience, Penn State (1997). The Costs of Sprawl in Pennsylvania, Clarion Associates for 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania (2000).
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Steven E. Polzin, The Relationship Between Land Use, Urban Form And Vehicle Miles Of Travel: The State Of Knowledge And Implications For Transportation Planning, Center for Urban Transportation Research at University of South Florida (March 2004); Cristina Rouvalis And Laura Pace, Moms Spending More Time As 'Taxi Drivers' Average Mother Of School-Age Kids Spent 74 Minutes A Day In Car In 2001, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (August 4, 2004). Rouvalis and Pace. John Holtzclaw, Using Residential Pattern and Transit to Decrease Auto Dependence and Costs, Natural Resources Defense Council, San Francisco, CA (1994); F. K Benfield, Matthew D. Raimi, Donald D.T. Chen, Once There Were Greenfields, Natural Resources Defense Council & Surface Transportation Policy Project (1999). Estimate calculated by Orth-Rodgers & Associates, a Pennsylvania transportation engineering and planning firm.
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Why Smart Growth: A Primer, International City/County Management Association with Geoff Anderson. http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/pdf/WhySmartGrowt h_bk.pdf Costs of Sprawl. Costs of Sprawl. Yan Song and Gerrit Knapp, Land Use Regulation, Urban Form, and the Price of Single Family Homes: A Preliminary Assessment of Portland’s 2040 Plan (2002). Bruce Katz, The Broader Context for Vacant Land, Presentation to the Flint Land Bank Authority Forum, Brookings Institution (April 7, 2005). http://www.brookings.edu/dybdocroot/metro/speeche s/20050407_VacantLand.pdf
Construction of the town of Bryn Eyre is scheduled to begin in 2007. At Bryn Eyre we will provide the best of small town life: safe sidewalks, public parks, civic buildings, neighborhood schools, walkable retail and a strong sense of community.
WELCOME TO A TRADITIONAL 21ST-CENTURY PENNSYLVANIA TOWN CALLED BRYN EYRE! www.bryneyre.com
