$80M 'Green' Housing Community Debuts

"Windermere on the Lake is a remarkable place of enduring value with profound attention to siting, architecture and landscape design," says Mark Hallett Robbins, president of Windermere on the Lake. "Today we are proud to celebrate the grand opening of a world class-residential development that is unrivaled in its classic architectural design, luxury finishes, fine craftsmanship and long-term environmental stewardship."

Robbins tells GlobeSt.com that the project, expected to cost approximately $80 million to develop, has already qualified for LEED certification from USGBC. However the council has not officially issued a designation for the development or at what level it has attained (silver, platinum, etc.) The community is believed to be the first residential development to seek LEED certification in Fairfield County and perhaps in the entire state of Connecticut, NRDC officials say.

"We're taking the concept of green technology to another level and developing one of the most comprehensive eco-friendly residential communities in the US," he adds. "We believe that what we are creating at Windermere on the Lake will serve as a national prototype for environmentally sustainable residential development."

The development will consist of 24 homes ranging from four to six bedrooms with three-car garages, priced from $3.2 million to $4.8 million. The site in the Long Ridge section of North Stamford covers 74 acres. A total of 25 acres has been donated to the Stamford Land Conservation Trust with another 25 acres retained as permanent open space.

Some of the green elements that will be incorporated into the community include: geothermal heating and cooling systems, paints and carpeting with extremely low volatile organic compounds; solar powered lighting, high performance windows and insulation; heat recovery and ventilation systems, extensive use of sustainable building materials and a sediment filtration system that results in stormwater leaving the site cleaner that when it entered the community.

Windermere on the Lake was inspired by the Lake District in England near the border with Scotland and is being designed by Roger Bartels of Bartels-Pagliaro Architects of Norwalk, CT. British landscape architect Simon Johnson is creating a custom English country garden for each home. The home designs are based on the 19th Century English Arts and Crafts movement.

Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, who attended the ribbon-cutting event Wednesday, said, "this is a demonstration that I think will stand across the country that one can take advantage of nature without doing damage to nature. The idea that these buildings take advantage of natural attributes and they are so progressive in their treatment of the environment I think will ultimately mean that people will come to study what was done here in North Stamford."