Sacto’s green neighborhoods

Moving to the country to recapture a simpler, healthier way of life rooted in community culture and eco-friendly living isn’t feasible for everyone, but there’s a new breed of development popping up right here in Sacramento County that affords residents some of the same comforts of country living.

Organizations such as Orangevale Cohousing work to develop infill projects—thoughtfully designed housing communities along transportation corridors in an effort to promote smart growth, green design and quality of life.

The design for Sycamore Village, Orangevale Cohousing’s community to be located along the Greenback Lane Commercial Corridor, includes 35 private homes, shared community facilities, open space and mature landscaping. The community is designed to use land efficiently, which requires less than half the acreage of typical housing developments and reduces urban sprawl. Its smart location, in the heart of an established community, affords mass transportation and walking as viable alternatives to driving.

And the community’s green home design is enough to make a treehugger drool. Homes are built with sustainable construction practices and building materials, adding nearly every kind of energy-efficient concept. Permaculture landscaping, which is the golden child when it comes to sustainable landscape design, integrates watershed protection, edible vegetation, an organic garden and composting area, and natural beauty throughout the development.

If this unique housing community with village-like values has peaked your interest, join Tim Frank, senior policy advisor to the Sierra Club, for his presentation on “Cohousing and Global Warming,” Monday, June 25, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Fair Oaks Community Library, located at 11601 Fair Oaks Boulevard. This is a free presentation and the public is warmly invited.

For more information, please contact Marty Maskall at (916) 967-2472 or visit www.OrangevaleCohousing.org.