June 15th, 2018

PCBC Awards Palm Springs Community Site Plan

Original article by Carrie Rossenfeld for SoCal RealEstate

Miralon, Boston-based Freehold Communities’ sustainably designed master-planned community in Palm Springs, California, and one of the largest “agrihoods” in the U.S., has received an award of merit for “Best On the Boards Site Plan” at PCBC’s 2018 Gold Nugget Awards. These awards are presented annually to innovators in design, planning and development; the competition is open to builders, developers, architects, and land planners with communities and projects across the United States and internationally.

Miralon offers 1,150 Modernist-inspired residences that are designed to match with Coachella Valley’s architectural heritage. A highlight of Miralon’s 300 acres is its transformation of an 18-hole golf course —built but never played —into working olive groves and community gardens. The 97-acre open-space plan repurposes the former golf course into groves and parks, including more than 70 acres of olive trees. Olive oil from the orchard will be pressed on site, and fruits and vegetables from the community gardens will go directly to the tables of residents.

Evolving the existing golf course into habitat-sensitive, agricultural open space is a response to the precious resources of the Coachella Valley, including its need for water. All homes at this “eco-Modern” community will be built with solar panels as a standard feature.

Miralon was one of three communities by Freehold to receive a merit award of in the competition. The other two projects were Headwaters in Dripping Springs, Texas, and Shearwater in St. Augustine, Florida, both received awards for “Best Community Land Plan” and “Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Community.”

All of Freehold’s eight newresidential and mixed-use communities —in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee and California –express the company’s Vital Community™ approach that embraces healthy living, engagement, connectivity, stewardship and distinctive home design. And all are distinguished by extensive amenities, including nature preserves, or innovative merging of homes and open space, such as “agrihoods.”