It Makes a Village

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THE VILLAGE CONCEPT isn’t just about walking, however. It also embraces the idea of a community where people feel part of a greater whole and don’t lose their individuality amid oceans of “cookie-cutter” homes.

At the Del Sur community near Rancho Santa Fe, “there’s a lot of attention being paid to providing as wide a diversity of housing types as possible,” says Bill Dumka, senior vice president with Black Mountain Ranch LLC, the master developer. Neighborhoods within Del Sur will have a variety of styles, drawing upon the heritage of local communities such as Coronado, Mission Hills and the Presidio.

Del Sur will have nine parks, each serving about 100 homes, Dumka says. The parks will become focal points, as will the entire community. “In my mind,” he explains, “the residents will get something to relate to: They live in Del Sur, and it’s a clear place rather than a big subdivision.”

In addition, about 60 percent of the development will be devoted to permanent open space, and 18 miles of trails will provide opportunities for walking and biking.

For now, though, “we’re just getting started, and it’ll take some time before people think of us as a village,” Dumka says. “The character of the community is just starting to show.”

In North County, San Elijo Hills has been a pioneer in adopting the village concept, using it to create a small-town feel.

“When we were starting to envision the community in 1997, we had people saying in focus groups that it seemed isolated, it really wasn’t part of Carlsbad or Elfin Forest or San Marcos,” says Curt Noland, vice president and general manager of San Elijo Hills. “We decided to turn that into a feature for the community: This is an opportunity to create a small town people can identify with.”

Why is the idea of a small town so appealing? “I don’t know whether it’s subconscious or conscious, but I think people have a vision of the town where their parents grew up,” Noland says.

Simplicity is a major goal at San Elijo Hills, bringing people back to the days where “there’s the store, right next to the dry cleaners, next to the coffee shop, next to the florist, rather the suburban strip-center model,” he says. At San Elijo Hills, developers are creating town squares and clustering schools, parks, shops and houses of worship around them. There are also 18 miles of trails connecting the neighborhoods, allowing people to easily walk from place to place.

There are smaller details too, including carefully designed sidewalks and storefronts. “Our retail stores have doors and windows to the street and architectural elements that create a pleasing place for people to shop,” Noland says.

Ultimately, about 3,460 homes are planned for San Elijo Hills, and Noland expects the residents will love the village concept: “I’m very much convinced that the approach we’re taking here contributes to a higher quality of life.”

What’s next? Dartmouth professor Berke says the village concept is evolving. “One feature that has become essential is access to transportation and, of course, access to parks and good schools. And in turn, making sure that these kinds of neighborhoods can be enjoyed by families over a wide range of incomes.”

Noland expects villages to stick around. “As people’s lives have become more complicated,” he says, “simpler communities have a resonance with people.”

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