I'on Village

Location: Mount Pleasant, SC, USA. Greenfield development bordering existing development in a small town

The project is a mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented neighborhood located on a
243-acre tract of land surrounded on three sides by existing development in the town of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Under construction/ development for four years, the community has succeeded in increasing awareness in the local community on traditional
neighborhood and new urbanist design. At I'on, there has been a 37.5 percent annual home value increase. philosophies and tenets, creating an environment that maintains local community character and identity, delivering a well-designed neighborhood that can be served efficiently,
fostering a sense of community, delivering a high-quality home project, and exceeding the sales and financial goals of the developer/owner.

Led by the vision of the developer and assisted by two planning firms, the
master plan provides for an intimate central location of its commercial area
(located near a new public transportation stop) and the thoughtful planning and integration of sidewalks, marshfront and lakefront paths that are accessible to all. A limited number of commercial, civic-use, and school sites are also grouped together and embedded throughout the neighborhood near gathering spots and natural amenities. Property lines have been designed to provide public access to all natural and man-made amenities, including miles of lake and marshfront views and a five-mile walking trail, allowing the local metro area residents, in addition to neighborhood residents, to enjoy and take advantage of these. This design element helps create linear parks throughout the neighborhood, complementing the children's playgrounds tucked behind many of the homesites.

With lot sizes planned to accommodate a variety of house styles and sizes,
members of the builders' guild take pride in building custom homes for a
wide range of individual tastes. Homes, ranging in size from 1,000 s.f. to more than 6,000 s.f., are built with quality and sustainability in mind, coupled with materials that age gracefully. Prices have ranged from $160,000 to more than $1,000,000. Urban design codes and a detailed vernacular building code help foster a healthy and vibrant streetscape and although originally planned for a wider range of housing types (multi-family, attached, etc.), additional housing units, and increased commercial square footage, the developer was unable to successfully garner the political support of the local town council for the original plan despite the support of significant local and national planners, environmental groups, and smart growth advocates.

The developer's philosophy is based on the importance of true community through a healthy relationship between the positioning of each home and the public and civic realm. This vision--of a new neighborhood that maintains the local community character, preserves greenspace and sensitive areas, requires quality construction practices, promotes a sense of community, and
is designed to efficiently serve its residents and neighbors--has been
eagerly accepted by the marketplace and continues to be viewed as a prominent model for smart growth and new urbanist developments in the
Southeast and the nation.

Transect Zone(s): T2 reserve, T4 general, T5 center.
Status: Complete
Project or Plan's Scale: Neighborhood
Land area (in acres): 243
Project team designers: Dover, Kohl & Partners, Seamon, Whiteside & Associates, DPZ
Project team developers: The I'on Company

Starting/Ending date of construction/implementation: 1998 - Present