Notable Landscape Planner and Author Randall Arendt Coming to Harvard

On February 6th, Landscape Planner and Author Randall Arendt, notable for developing the concept of conservation subdivision design, will be speaking at a workshop at the Bromfield School. Conservation subdivision design, known also as Open Space Residential Design, is an alternative form of subdivision that results in a significant amount of permanent open space being protected. Noteworthy for having written Rural by Design and a number of other books on conservation such as Growing Greener and Conservation Design for Subdivisions, Mr. Arendt will be leading the workshop through discussion of the concept, a focus on Harvard's proposed Bylaw update, and a design exercise using a Harvard example.

Harvard currently has a version of conservation subdivisions called OSC-PRD or Open Space and Conservation Planned Residential Development. However, this version is not particularly sophisticated or attractive to use and thus it has only been utilized once in sixteen years.

The expectation is that with a lot of thought put into the new version by the Planning Board, staff, and other reviewers in the engineering, development, and planning community, that is can be a great deal more functional and attractive to use. Additionally, with Randall Arendt's participation in the workshop, explaining the benefits of conservation design, and his consulting on the Town's Bylaw, the hope is that Harvard will have a true model ordinance and attract the best form of developments possible under this framework.

The workshop, to be held from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm (see agenda here), will also feature speakers from the development community, designers, planners, and others who will share their perspectives and experiences related to conservation or open space design.  Intended to attract local citizens, board members, engineers, architects, landscape designers, and others, you can sign up for the event on Eventbrite by clicking the link below. The workshop is sponsored by the Town of Harvard, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance.

Eventbrite Link

For further information on the event and the progress on the Bylaw update, please go to the Planning Board's project page here.  Finally, any questions on the concept, the event, or the bylaw, please feel free to contact Christopher J. Ryan, AICP, Director of Community and Economic Development with the Town of Harvard at cryan@harvard.ma.us or 978.456.4100 x.323.