Success Stories
North Point at Ironwood, Neighborhood Housing & Development
Corporation
Alachua
County
North Point at Ironwood is an 18-acre mixed income community
developed by the Neighborhood Housing & Development Corporation.
Home yards feature all bahia grass and no in-ground irrigation as
all of the landscapes are watered for establishment only. New homeowners
are provided with follow-up education and a Gardening 101 booklet.
The community includes 3 acres of preserved area as well as naturally vegetated swales to collect and convey road runoff. The homes have been certified by the Florida Green Building Coalition and Energy Star certification.
Ms. Wilber says, “I am so pleased to drive people through the North
Point neighborhood to show them that landscapes can be created to
exist quiet well on rainfall alone and supplemental hand watering
during drought conditions. North Point landscapes are helping to demonstrate
what Florida-friendly looks like and that you don’t have to spend
a lot of money to have a good looking landscape.”
Longleaf, Crosland, LLC
Pasco County
The Longleaf community is situated on just under 600 acres in Pasco
County with 40% of it set aside for common recreational and preserved
areas. Using traditional neighborhood design elements, the 1600 units
are clustered with small lots, minimum road widths, bike paths connecting
the neighborhoods and a small commercial area. The first developers
Frank and Trey Starkey voluntarily adopted Florida-friendly landscape
designs in 2002 and the current developer Crosland has continued to
build on this initial vision. 
Parks include soil moisture sensors to reduce the community’s overall irrigation usage and reclaimed water is used for irrigation. In February of this year, the community amended its covenants to include green building elements such as encouraging the selection of drought-tolerant grass and plants that may reduce or eliminate the need for permanent irrigation. To further educate its homeowners about environmental options, the community has installed “Green Living” educational kiosks.
Longleaf is one of only nine developments who have received FGBC’s
prestigious Green Development certification in the state. Pasco County’s
Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Builder and Developer Coordinator
Chris Dewey praises Longleaf “for having served as a forward thinking
model which was Florida-friendly before Green became a household word.”
On Top of the World Communities, Inc
Marion County
The
On Top of the World Community has worked closely with Marion County’s
Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Coordinator, Kathleen Patterson
for many years on incorporating Florida-friendly landscaping into
its home and common landscapes. The community features clustered homes
as well as the Circle Square Commons, a commercial and cultural hub
which hosts a weekly farmer’s market.
The strong education program includes presentations on the community website, articles in monthly newsletters as well as monthly educational workshops on water conservation and Florida-friendly landscaping.
On Top of the World builds its homes to Energy Star standards and the homes in its newest neighborhood, Renaissance Park, are built to meet the requirements for the Florida Water StarSM certification.
FYN Coordinator, Kathleen Patterson praises the community’s beautiful but functional landscape and values working with a developer who is always striving to go a step further.
