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Media Contact: Irene Donnell, Director of Public Relations
603.278.3366, publicrelations@mountwashingtonresort.com

NEW - Village Overlay District page

THANK YOU! The management team at Mount Washington Resort would like to thank you for your support of the Village Overlay District. Now that the Village Overlay District has been approved, we will begin the planning of the village over the next few months. Please look for the announcement of the next set of public workshops in the near future. We will post articles in the local newspapers, send out postcards, and place workshop details postings with upcoming dates and topics in the near future. Again, thanks for your continued support - we look forward to continuing to work with the residents of the Town of Carroll throughout our planning process.

Recent Documents

April 23, 2008: Bretton Woods Homeowner Survey Results

February 19, 2008: Economic Impact Final Report by Ross Gittell

February 6, 2008: Economic Impact Analysis Presentation by Ross Gittell

Overview

Celebratory Development

celebrate (v) - to show happiness that something good, special or meaningful has happened. To praise something publicly. To make it famous.

The visionary developer of Mount Washington Resort is Celebration Associates, a Virginia-based firm whose focus is "celebratory development."

Celebratory development is the process of creating communities (urban, suburban, rural and resort) whose social and economic worth is not only rooted in but is also increased by enduring human values. It is a development model that treats history, culture, the environment, citizenship and humanity as essential elements of every master plan and balance sheet. Celebratory developments elevate the quality of life, encounter less resistance and generate higher returns by marshalling the faith not only of those who come to live in these communities, but also those who live near them and those who partner with Celebration Associates in creating them. Celebratory development celebrates (respects and elevates) specific aspects of development that are aligned with the company's own mission, vision and values.

Celebratory development takes several different forms depending on the development's setting and purpose.

Agrarian Preservation

Unites residential development with productive land use and environmental science in order to create an economically and environmentally sustainable mechanism for preserving a rural, agrarian way of life.

Example: Bundoran Farm being developed by Celebration Associates in Charlottesville, Virginia

Heritage Preservation

Rescues and revives landmark destinations, preserving and interpreting areas of great historic value and combines them with sophisticated infrastructure to create culturally and economically enduring living legacies.

Examples: Mount Washington Resort and Homestead Preserve in Hot Springs, Virgnina

Nature Preservation

Creating viable community developments around the preservation and/or conservation of environmentally significant natural resources. Combining residential living with nature conservation to create communities that protect and preserve mankind's relationship with the wild. Example: Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm, Clear Springs, South Carolina, Baxter Village and Celebration, Florida.

Cultural Preservation

A form of preservation that celebrates (reflects) the unique cultural and/or social attributes (mores) specific to a community or a region. This form of preservation mirrors a distinctive way of life, an example being the small town values of the Allegheny Highlands we see in Hot Springs, Virginia, a town and a county without a single stoplight.

Philosophy: Planning and Development

Smart Growth Overview

Principles of Smart Growth

Smart Growth Overview

From the Smart Growth Network, formed by the US EPA and the Sustainable Communities Network as well as other non-profit organizations:

In communities across the nation, there is a growing concern that current development patterns -- dominated by what some call "sprawl" -- are no longer in the long-term interest of our cities, existing suburbs, small towns, rural communities, or wilderness areas. Though supportive of growth, communities are questioning the economic costs of abandoning infrastructure in the city, only to rebuild it further out.

Spurring the smart growth movement are demographic shifts, a strong environmental ethic, increased fiscal concerns, and more nuanced views of growth. The result is both a new demand and a new opportunity for smart growth.

The features that distinguish smart growth in a community vary from place to place. In general, smart growth invests time, attention, and resources in restoring community and vitality to center cities and older suburbs. New smart growth is more town-centered, is transit and pedestrian oriented, and has a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses. It also preserves open space and many other environmental amenities.

The Smart Growth Principles and Issues describe in greater details the various aspects of planning and development that make up smart growth.

Principles of Smart Growth

Below is a list of principles of Smart Growth. The best smart growth developments combined several of these principles to create a cohesive, community feel.

Mixed-use activity centers - enhance civic, social, educational, cultural and economic life as well as transportation.

Appropriate development patterns - direct development to areas where municipal services, roads and utilities are already available.

Green Space - preserve sensitive areas, create a network of open space, provide natural amenities within communities.

Walkable communities - create a safe friendly atmosphere designed with pedestrians and bicyclists in mind.

Integrated transportation - link new and existing residential, employment, commercial and recreational areas.

Enhanced civic realm - place a priority on the accessibility, architectural compatibility, and preserving what's best of the present and past for enjoyment by future generations.

Affordable living - promote a variety of choices in housing and transportation both integrated and accessible across communities.

Shared benefits - distribute the benefits of growth to all residents and businesses equally.

Community collaboration - promote involvement of all stakeholders in community decisions.

Fairness - ensure development decisions are fair and cost effective.

Projects

Vision of The Common

The Common, located here at Mount Washington Resort, is envisioned to be a mixed use hub of activity where a variety of residences are combined with retail, office and resort amenities in a walkable, inviting atmosphere. A variety of landscapes; including cobblestone sidewalks, outdoor seating and pocket parks are envisioned to create a sense of place along the busy streets in the common. Designing building scale, orientation and entrances to a pedestrian scale, the buildings and the village as a whole become more inviting, encouraging visitors to park their automobile and walk around and explore the area.

The intent is to design a place that is reminiscent of the traditional New England village, a place where people gather, take care of daily business affairs, and reside; a place with a true sense of community. The challenge is to design a place of yesteryear, today, where our regulatory tools that were developed thirty years ago were designed to spread out development and decentralize the traditional villages and downtowns. In many places, these regulations are still in place today. In towns and cities across the country, planners and developers are working with town officials to rework their regulations to allow for flexibility in design, narrower streets, pedestrian amenities, and mixed uses that are needed in order to create vibrant villages and commons. In order to create true places and communities as we once did, rethinking how we develop while allowing for creativity and flexibility in development is essential.

Disclaimer: The intended use of this document is to test development feasibility. There is no guarantee that any associated plans or artistic depictions illustrated on/in this document will be developed, nor does any correspondence related to this feasibility exercise imply development intent. Any and all conceptual design and program elements are subject to change.

Public Workshops

The Mount Washington Resort Public Workshop Series

The Mount Washington Resort Development Team would like to cordially invite you to a series of informational and participatory public workshops over the next few months. The goal of these public sessions is to provide a forum where the local community members can better understand the vision for the future of the resort development and provide input and feedback on the planning, design, and vision for the Mount Washington Resort. Please come and join us!

The development team completed four workshops this fall and, due to their success and the interest of the public to have more, we have scheduled the following upcoming workshops:

Schedule: