When Philip and Frances Montgomery bought the 500 acres that is now Montgomery Farm in the early 1940s, the site was primarily comprised of over-farmed cotton land. The Montgomerys, however, fell in love with the site’s rolling hills, mature trees and extensive prairies. Situated in Collin County, Texas, on Rowlett Creek, the farm still had life in it, and by the late 1950s, the Montgomerys were active raising five gated horses and operating a dairy herd and beef cattle. As a result, the land became lush again.

The land remained with the family; the Montgomerys eventually passed its ownership to their daughter Frances Williams. By the mid-1970s, however, Williams became concerned that the northward suburban sprawl from Dallas would reach the farm. In an effort to preserve some open space she formed the Connemara Conservancy with a gift of 72 acres in 1981.

Two decades later, the family is still focused on conservation. A few years ago, Williams and her six children formed a partnership with her son Philip’s company, Emerson Partners, to develop Montgomery Farm with thoughtful planning along conservation principles. The site will see much construction, but more than half of the land will be left in its natural state, including 140 acres along Rowlett Creek, the company says.

“Our goal is to develop a very special place,” says Lee Hall, president of Sustainable Structures of Texas, a subsidiary of Emerson Partners. “We want it to provide an economic value to the developer and enjoyment value to its residents. Our major goal is smart development – we are not focused on density.”

In recognition of its conservation-focused design and development, this fall the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) presented Montgomery Farm with the 2007 Celebrating Leadership in Development Excellence (CLIDE) Award. NCTCOG determined Montgomery Farm best promoted the organization’s principles.

“This 500-acre development has integrated more than 250 acres of permanent green space into pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, creating an oasis of meadows and natural preserves surrounded by neighborhoods, retail and workplaces,” NCTCOG said.

This award is the latest in a series of honors given to Montgomery Farm, including Project of the Year from the American Planning Association, Texas chapter; 2006 Millennium Award from the Allen Economic Development Corp.; and the 2004 Public Project of the Year from the Texas Public Works Association.

Construction Today spoke with Hall about the new development and how the parties involved are ensuring the implementation of sustainable principles throughout.  

Construction Today: What are the environmentally conscious aspects of the project?
Lee Hall: The most important things we have to consider in sustainable construction are how we conserve energy and the environment and how socially responsible we are. All of this boils down to a focus on the human element. We have to create a place where people want to be, but is also healthy and enjoyable.

To achieve this, we are studying traffic patterns, how water moves through the development, how we can get enough trees and open spaces, and how the neighborhoods are developed. We are looking at the roadways’ use – we are determining the roads’ widths depending on how they will be used. We are designing the roads depending on the homes that will be nearby; the roads don’t just need to be designed around the car. We also plan for many hiking and biking trails.

We are selecting different types of trees for different sections of the property – we want what is best for the wildlife. With water, we want water to fall in the highland, go to the midland, then the lowland and then the floodplain. We want the water to move across the property and do what it’s supposed to do so it’s natural.

We are working closely with the U.S. Green Building Council so we can understand their programs. We want to abide by their guidelines, but we want Texas to look like Texas. We are going to construct a platinum-certified office building, and have been accepted into USGBC’s neighborhood development program, where we will develop homes that are according to the rules of the LEED for Homes program. I am the current head advocate for LEED for Homes in our area and I believe it is important to have a standard of measurement for green. It will protect developers, builders and the public, and lead to a true understanding of green.

CT: Do you think the company setting standards for sustainable construction?
LH: The platinum-certified private office building is unique because there are not many out there. Using process and flow systems, smart partnering and sequencing provides value to all involved. We also want to add value to the quality and performance of the building – the quality of the relationships of the groups involved is important to achieve that.

One green aspect of the office building will be its million-gallon storage tank, which will capture rain water. We will use this in the landscaping, the plumbing and for the cooling tower. Most people spend about $1 per gallon to store water, but our system will get the cost down to about 25 cents per gallon. We will have lush green environments through stored water.

Emerson Partners’ philosophy is to diversify to add value. We have a landscaping operation that understands green values and helps to develop green areas on our properties. Sustainable Structures is the construction manager, developer and builder of the organization. We also have a small real estate company that helps all builders add green elements.