CONSERVATION MINDED 

The community center is under roof and construction has started on three homes in Creston, a wooded development near Asheville, N.C. Five hundred fifty of 1,100 acres set aside for this community are slated for conservation and land protection. Included in the protected land are the headwaters of the left prong on the Catawba River. Creston has created plots specifically for pre-approved, architecturally designed cabins with small footprints. Owners of homesites appropriate for two-phase building are encouraged to design a cottage within a total scheme for future full-time residence. (800) 778-1190. www.creston-nc.com, www.mcdonougharchitect.com.

The homes at Creston are carefully designed to be at one with the land and sit on small footprints.

CITY ESCAPE

 The development’s pavilion is under roof and houses are going up right now in The Preserve at Sharp Mountain. Only 45 minutes from Atlanta, Ga., it is close enough for many homeowners  to commute yet be near the city for convenience. The community encompasses nearly 1,500 acres at an elevation of more than 2,000 feet.  All homesites are at least three acres. Along with underground utilities, there are strong architectural guidelines and protective covenants for conservation purposes. The Preserve at Sharp Mountain is a development of Four Seasons Properties. (800) 230-7075. http://www.owngeorgialand.com.

At The Preserve at Sharp Mountain, just 45 minutes from Atlanta, the views are stunning.

 
BUILDING A VILLAGE

  Phase I of Linville River Farm is now open, with 18 lots ready for construction. Designed around an 1890's farmhouse, the Linville River Farm development near Newland, N.C., will will include a general store and a pedestrian-only village with shops and office space.  The 19th-century property will be renovated into an inn named The Boarding House. Although the inn and the pedestrian village will be open to the public, the gated residential community will be set back from the highway. Homeowners have more than a dozen farmhouse floor plans to choose from, and home sites will have either river or mountain views. Approved home designs have special elements including tin roofs, stone fireplaces and  porches. Some sites will have horse stables with pastures and woodlands. (828) 733-4453.

At Linville River Farm, this 19th-century property is undergoing renovation to become an inn named The Boarding House.

LAKESIDE LIVING

 Lots are being cleared for the first and final phase of development in the Smith Mountain Lake community, Mountain Shadow Cove.  This 90-acre Bedford County parcel, set on Virginia's premier residential and recreational lake, is only 40 minutes from Lynchburg and Roanoke.  Mountain Shadow Cove offers 28 waterfront lots, mountain views, wooded areas, water-front access, abundant wildlife and many recreational activities.  Project by Blackwater Development, LLC.  (800) 832-1633.  www.mountainshadowcove.com

Phase II of Waterfront Greens on the shores of Deep Creek Lake in Maryland has just been opened for building and sales.  This development is convenient to Charleston, Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh.  A gated, four season resort community, Waterfront Greens has dock slips, lake access, and a nine-hole professionally designed, par-three golf course.  Homeowners here also enjoy such amenities as canoe and kayak stations, snow sledding hills, tennis courts, a clubhouse, and a four-acre catch-and-release bass pond with gazebos.  (800) 336-5263.

-Virginia Watson