The New Town Story: From CSD to New Urbanism - A Case Study Tim Busse, AIA, CNU Town Architect, The New Town at St. Charles Innovative Practices in Development Presented by the Seaside Institute and Whittaker Builders Thursday, August 14 th , 2008 10:15 am – 11:00 am
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The New Town Story: From CSD to New Urbanism -
A Case Study
Tim Busse, AIA, CNUTown Architect, The New Town at St. Charles
Innovative Practices in DevelopmentPresented by the Seaside Institute and Whittaker Builders
Thursday, August 14th, 2008 10:15 am –
11:00 am
Question:When built per CNU charter principles and priced competitively in the local market, is New Urbanism a viable alternative to developing conventional suburban communities?
Whittaker Builders, Inc.
a family-owned, Missouri-based builder/developer
with
over 30 years of experience building thousands of typical suburban homes
in dozens of communities
throughout the St. Louis region
Greg Whittaker Company President & Town Founder
•
a second generation land developer/home builder
•
graduated from the University of Kansas School of Architecture
•
President of Whittaker Homes for over fourteen years
•
Greg and his family have been visiting Seaside on summer vacations for close to 20 years. Greg liked that after a 12 hour drive from St. Louis to Seaside, he could park and not need to drive anywhere for the rest of the stay
Tim Busse, AIA, CNU Vice President/Director of Architecture
an architect licensed in California & Missouri, interested in affordable housing and creating places, wearing many hats:
•
Vice President/Director of Architecture – company spokesman, founder of the WBI Architectural Design Studio
•
New Town at St. Charles Town Architect
-
working for the New Town at St. Charles General Assembly (homeowners association) –
community encourager & psychotherapist
•
Charrette/Workshop coordinator
•
New Town in a Box marketing team
-
a complete package of successful, market-proven information and materials
•
The Cast Iron Company marketing team –
national distributor for a complete line street furnishings used at NTSC
Whittaker Builders, Inc. Business Model•
Whittaker Builders is historically the St. Louis region’s value priced leader, typically selling homes for more than $10k below competitors by purchasing
land carefully, keeping overhead low, and controlling labor costs. Whittaker Builders were already successful at building affordable homes in large suburban tracts, having recently completed a 1,400 home and an 1,800 home subdivision
•
Whittaker Builders
has its own union field labor, and continue to build both conventional and New Urban communities
•
Most New Urbanist
developments separate land development from home building. One company develops the lots and small builders build one-off custom homes. Whittaker Homes takes on both roles to allow faster land development & sales velocities
How did Whittaker Builders, Inc. make the transition?
•New Town was envisioned as a compliment to the beautiful, historic City of St. Charles, a largely intact 19th
century river town 2.5 miles south of New Town•The Town Planning firm of Duany, Plater-Zyberk
&
Company was hired in December 2002 to create a town plan and an alternative zoning code
The Charrette
Team
Duany, Plater-Zyberk
& Company
Town Planner
What changes did Whittaker Builders, Inc. need to make to develop the New Town at
St. Charles?
• There was a complete review of business & construction practices• Only about 30% able to be used for building New Town• Coordination with engineering companies and utility companies was time consuming, but crucial• No existing floor plans were able to be reused for New Town, creating a large backlog of architectural work
Timing is everything!
Timeline
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page news
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completed
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning code
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process
September 2004
New Town from the Air
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
processDecember 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeks
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
New Town from the Air
February 2005
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move in
New Town from the Air
May 2005
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move inJune 2005
Model homes open, sales center relocated to model home garage
New Town from the Air
August 2005
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move inJune 2005
Model homes open, sales center relocated to model home garage Fall 2005
first incentives offered on Apartment Mansion units
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move inJune 2005
Model homes open, sales center relocated to model home garage Fall 2005
first incentives offered on Apartment Mansion unitsOctober 2005
Toll Brothers hints at slow down, observed in St. Charles conventional developments sales office traffic counts
New Town from the Air
March 2006
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move inJune 2005
Model homes open, sales center relocated to model home garage Fall 2005
first incentives offered on Apartment Mansion unitsOctober 2005
Toll Brothers hints at slow down, observed in St. Charles conventional developments sales office traffic counts
April 2006
corner store opens, 350 residential units closed
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move inJune 2005
Model homes open, sales center relocated to model home garage Fall 2005
first incentives offered on Apartment Mansion unitsOctober 2005
Toll Brothers hints at slow down, observed in St. Charles conventional developments sales office traffic counts
April 2006
corner store opens, 350 residential units closedMid 2006
New Town customers still had to wait 18 months from contract to move-in
New Town from the Air
September 2006
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move inJune 2005
Model homes open, sales center relocated to model home garage Fall 2005
first incentives offered on Apartment Mansion unitsOctober 2005
Toll Brothers hints at slow down, observed in St. Charles conventional developments sales office traffic counts
April 2006
corner store opens, 350 residential units closedMid 2006
New Town customers still had to wait 18 months from contract to move-inEnd of 2006
slow down worsened, Sales Center next to Marsala’s
Market opens
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move inJune 2005
Model homes open, sales center relocated to model home garage Fall 2005
first incentives offered on Apartment Mansion unitsOctober 2005
Toll Brothers hints at slow down, observed in St. Charles conventional developments sales office traffic counts
April 2006
corner store opens, 350 residential units closedMid 2006
New Town customers still had to wait 18 months from contract to move-inEnd of 2006
slow down worsened, Sales Center next to Marsala’s
Market opensApril 2007
700 total residential units sold
New Town from the Air
July 2007
New Town from the Air
November 2007
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move inJune 2005
Model homes open, sales center relocated to model home garage Fall 2005
first incentives offered on Apartment Mansion unitsOctober 2005
Toll Brothers hints at slow down, observed in St. Charles conventional developments sales office traffic counts
April 2006
corner store opens, 350 residential units closedMid 2006
New Town customers still had to wait 18 months from contract to move-inEnd of 2006
slow down worsened, Sales Center next to Marsala’s
Market opensApril 2007
700 total residential units soldWinter 2007
Whittaker halfway through backlog; Slow down at New Town observed by fewer cancelations
when compared to convention suburban development
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move inJune 2005
Model homes open, sales center relocated to model home garage Fall 2005
first incentives offered on Apartment Mansion unitsOctober 2005
Toll Brothers hints at slow down, observed in St. Charles conventional developments sales office traffic counts
April 2006
corner store opens, 350 residential units closedMid 2006
New Town customers still had to wait 18 months from contract to move-inEnd of 2006
slow down worsened, Sales Center next to Marsala’s
Market opensApril 2007
700 total residential units soldWinter 2007
Whittaker halfway through backlog; Slow down at New Town observed by fewer cancelations
when compared to convention suburban developmentSummer 2007
sales incentives introduced ($5,000 in free groceries at Marsala’s Market)
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move inJune 2005
Model homes open, sales center relocated to model home garage Fall 2005
first incentives offered on Apartment Mansion unitsOctober 2005
Toll Brothers hints at slow down, observed in St. Charles conventional developments sales office traffic counts
April 2006
corner store opens, 350 residential units closedMid 2006
New Town customers still had to wait 18 months from contract to move-inEnd of 2006
slow down worsened, Sales Center next to Marsala’s
Market opensApril 2007
700 total residential units soldWinter 2007
Whittaker halfway through backlog; Slow down at New Town observed by fewer cancelations
when compared to convention suburban developmentSummer 2007
sales incentives introduced ($5,000 in free groceries at Marsala’s Market)2008 projected to close 100-150 units
Timing is everything!
TimelineJanuary 2003
Largest proposed residential development in St. Louis history makes front page newsFebruary 2003 The New Town at St. Charles Town Planning Charrette
completedMarch 2003
DPZ delivers final town plan & zoning codeJuly 2003
Project entitlements completed with virtually no opposition due to Charrette
process December 2003
Sales of homes in New Town begin; 65 cottages sell in 2.1/2 weeksApril 2004
414 residential (single family, cottage & row home) units are sold (two years of production backlog sold in four months!), sales are artificially
slowed to guard against future material & labor increases
April 2005
First residents move inJune 2005
Model homes open, sales center relocated to model home garage Fall 2005
first incentives offered on Apartment Mansion unitsOctober 2005
Toll Brothers hints at slow down, observed in St. Charles conventional developments sales office traffic counts
April 2006
corner store opens, 350 residential units closedMid 2006
New Town customers still had to wait 18 months from contract to move-inEnd of 2006
slow down worsened, Sales Center next to Marsala’s
Market opensApril 2007
700 total residential units soldWinter 2007
Whittaker halfway through backlog; Slow down at New Town observed by fewer cancelations
when compared to convention suburban developmentSummer 2007
sales incentives introduced ($5,000 in free groceries at Marsala’s Market)2008 projected to close 100-150 unitsApril 2008
New Town in a Box is launched at CNU XVI
New Town from the Air
June 2008
New Town from the Air
June 2008
Comparison to our Conventional Suburban Product•
Conventional suburban development in St. Louis averages 2.5 units/acre, New Town is averaging 7-9 units per acre -
three times
the density translates into much lower lot costs, even when factoring in higher (about 20%) infrastructure costs
•
Favorable press coverage and a busy event schedule generate 5-10 times the sales office traffic, multiple sales office locations to find the sweet spot (next to corner store or café)
•
New Town regular price increases & overall quality of life gives
reason to buy, even in a bad market
Architectural Guides
A Book of Inspiration
by Steve Mouzonformerly of Placemakers
The Bible
Whittaker Architectural Design Studio
Grading began in Fall 2008
Home Sales began December 26th, 2003 from this temporary sales center -
New Town was marketed as a continuation of the regional urban fabric
Iconic Local Buildings
On-site barn to be rehabbed for Organic Farm
Recreated Train Station
for Sales Center
Prototype Sales Cottage Detailing
Temporary (Movable) Buildings
Initial Cottages had Different Garage Configurations
Materials, Colors & Detailing
Special Details
Unit Type DistributionPhase One -
Variety of dwelling units
•
Provide authentic choice to residents
•
Townhouses (14’
wide) to Estate lots (+85’
wide); includes: cottages, bungalows, side yards, live-works, apartment buildings, etc
•
Building types of similar size face each other across the street
•
Small mixed-use or commercial types are seamlessly integrated with housing
•
Smaller lots towards the neighborhood center and larger lots towards the edge
•
Majority of homes are accessed by a rear lane
•
Greens and open space are clearly defined and useable
LIVE/ WORK UNITS1,800-
4,000 SQUARE FEET
CONDO/ APARTMENT
HOUSES750-
1,300 SQUARE FEET
ROW HOUSES900-
2,000 SQUARE FEET
COTTAGES1,000-
2,000 SQUARE FEET
SINGLE FAMILY HOMES
1,200-
4,000 SQUARE FEET
CUSTOM HOMES2,000-
5,000 SQUARE FEET
RETAIL/ BUSINESS
CIVIC SPACES/PARKS
Neighborhood Center Civic, Commercial & Live/Work Buildings
Attached RowhomesAverage sales price of $190-200,000
Cottages & Cottage CourtsAverage sales price of $220,000
Apartment Mansions
Senior Courtyard Homes
Average sales price of $140,000
Average sales price of $130,000
Single-Family HomesAverage sales price of $300-325,000House construction costs are about $10/SF more than conventional
suburban development due to better materials and detailing
Lot Cost Statistics
•
Raw land cost $40-42,000/acre
•
Raw land average $5,000/lot
•
Development costs $25,000/lot
•
Average developed lot cost
$30,000 (excludes carry costs)
Amenity Cost Statistics
New Town Amenities (playgrounds, parks, amphitheater, etc.) cost $3-4,000 per average sized lot ($5-8,000 if you include street trees, sidewalks, lake edging, bollards, etc not found in conventional suburban development).
Responses to Downturn•Cut back field employees•Recommitted to reducing waste & overhead•Revised lots away from hard-to-sell row home product•Refocused on civic projects•Began growing our own food
Multiple Product Lines priced from $110,000 to
$225,000 were Developed
•
Apartments (535-1070 sf) -
mostly flats, as New Town Apartment leasing at 98%
•
Condominiums (640-904 sf) -
all flats, two story building, lot costs based of lineal feet of lot, frontage 8.5’
per unit = $10,000 lot cost/unit, 45-
50 units/acre
•
Duplexes (576-840 sf) targeted for downsizing seniors
•
Traditional Neighborhood Series (1268-2772 sf) -
single family product on small lots, second floor built over the garage
Apartments 535-1070 sf
mostly flats, as New Town Apartment leasing at 98%
Condominiums 640-904 sf
all flats, two story buildings, lot costs based of lineal feet of lot, frontage 8.5’
per unit =
$10,000 lot cost/unit, 45-50 units/acre
Duplexes 576-840 sf
targeted for downsizing seniors
Traditional Neighborhood Series 1268-2779 sf
Value-engineered box-over-box construction on 70’
deep lots
Traditional Neighborhood Series 1268-2779 sf
Value-engineered, box on box construction on 70’
deep lots
•
There is still no direct competition for New Town, we expected a competitor to copy New Town within 30 months, but 66 months later still no direct competition
•
Phase One 90% completed, now building in Phase Two and Three, selling in Phase Ten
As of Today…
Lessons Learned•
New Urbanism is about creating
a variety of great places for residents & visitors, it is NOT about the houses or individual buildings
•
The single most important sales concept is momentum, as if it is lost, it can not be fully regained
•
Building the New Urbanism is more complex when compared to conventional development
•
Coordination
with engineering companies, utility companies, subcontractors, as well as landscape & fencing companies is critical
•
A wide variety of housing types created especially for New Town created a large backlog of architectural work and large architectural fees, as no existing floor plans were able to be reused
Advice to Developers •
It is a great time to start a construction company, or begin new projects (lower land prices)
•
Larger projects can start sales at or below cost to `seed’
the community and build momentum, our previous project help support this pricing
•
Build small & rental units early, to demonstrate the quality to ease the concerns of higher end buyers
•
Build neighborhood block by block, so complete neighborhood with multiple building types are shown
•
The trend should reverse eventually due to pent-up demand, if credit market survives,
•
Under-promise, over deliver –
customers were amazed by the quality of the buildings and the community at closing
Good things about developing the New Urbanism •
Able to differentiate
in crowded markets
•
Mostly positive (and free) press response
•
Wide variety of products/types capture almost every market segment
•
Ability to change product mix to respond to changing markets
•
Higher profit margins on residential products
•
Underserved market can create high demand
•
Much higher sales center traffic
•
Larger initial outlay, long term profitability (not get-rich-quick)
•
Whittaker is now sought out by municipalities
•
Multiple profit centers
•
Psychic rewards for doing the right thing
The New Town Story: From CSD to New Urbanism - A Case Study
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