Hampshire
Fifty miles west of downtown Chicago, Serosun Farms in Hampshire is a working organic farm that is designed to offer potential homeowners modern conveniences in a rural, pastoral environment.
The community is comprised of 114 one-acre lots that range from cottages and country estates in the Victorian, Prairie and Craftsman styles. Amenities of the countryside property include custom-designed homes, open sports facilities, an equestrian center and a bed and breakfast. The acreage is located an hour outside the city of Chicago, and the Metra and I-90 are accessible from the property.
Serosun Farms is also a proponent of communal, sustainable living. With 300 acres of open common space, a community center, and a farmer’s market featuring fresh produce, free-range and farm-raised meat, flora and other specialty items, residents are privy to organic food on-site. The restored prairie also features natural amenities, such as fishing ponds, abundant gardens and parks, prairie wetlands and eight miles of walking trails.
The community aims to provide 70 to 80 percent of its energy via clean and renewable sources, mainly from solar, wind and geothermal energy. Serosun Farms takes part in LEED certified green building practices and participates in waste recycling, composting, pollution reduction, sustainable farming and wildlife habitat preservation.
For more information, call Holly Connors or Rob Roper of Serosun Farms at 847.683.4796 or visit Serosunfarms.com.
SEROSUN FARMS
Location-45 W. 489 Berner Road, Hampshire
Housing Type-Custom sustainable single-family
Number of Units-114
Percent Sold-4%
Delivery Date-Spring 2011
Price Range-From $800,000
Co-op Commission-2.5%
Architect-Juan Moreno, Ghafari & Associates;Jeffrey Funke, Funke Architects
Developer-JDA
ASK THE DEVELOPER
John DeWald
Why did you decide to give your development a green focus? What started as an equestrian concept became a green-focused development because we wanted to give people an option to be close enough to the city and still have room for their kids/grandkids to play/ride/roam. We also wanted to give back to the local community with an agricultural community that would be able to provide organic food options right from our land.
What is the most interesting sustainable feature in the community? We have created a community where local farming can exist. We believe in farm preservation and we think many of the clients interested in the project will be coming from a past farm life where they loved the lifestyle, but wouldn’t be able to do the full farming life anymore. We have created a community that will serve as a rural buffer between towns that will conserve the land because of larger sized lots than most “subdivision” type communities. Creating a community with restored prairie, preserved farm and open space gives us a unique selling advantage.
Are there advantages to living in a sustainable community? We believe that making things sustainable doesn’t always mean it has to cost more. Sometimes strong, efficient construction really is green because it saves energy with proper caulking, insulation and reliability.