Tim Busse, town architect for New Town St. Charles, took me on a tour of new urbanist community, which recently celebrated its 10th birthday. New Town won’t be as large as initially planned — the housing recession reduced expectations. Even so, roughly 1,255 homes have been closed and businesses established during the last decade.
The people who live here enjoy a very nourishing place with an organic farm. Residents who want to grow their own vegetables can rent plots. The farm stand is open on weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This summer the farm’s managers held a “Bash at the Farm” that included many booths and live entertainment.
New Town has some of the nicest amenities of any new-home community developed in the last decade, to be sure. The town planner, Duany Plater-Zyberk, met a requirement for providing 80 acres of storm-water retention by designing a series of ponds and canals. Many of the homes are sited to have water views.
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- Greg Whittaker, the developer of New Town St. Charles, spent $2 million to include an organic farm. Half the money went to build this beautiful river-stone wall
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- Gotta love the whimsy here
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- The farm sells organic produce, herbs, and eggs. More than 50 laying hens call the farm home
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- They kept the original barn and farm house on the site. The buildings date to the early 1900s
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- Greenhouse in the background
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- People can actually swim in the community’s ponds and canals, which were designed to meet requirements for storm-water retention
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- This is Tim’s old house, which once graced the cover of Builder magazine
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- The community’s emphasis is on affordable homes for first-time buyers
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- Traditional home styles have been lovingly recreated
