This 2300-acre farmstead located twenty minutes from the city of Charlottesville possesses several notable qualities typical of central Virginia and the Piedmont: rolling pastures, open streams, mature oak/hickory/maple forests, productive apple orchards, miles of horse and hiking trails, and stunning views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. As the city population grows, development encroaches into places such as Bundoran Farm. The story is an all too familiar one: people move out to the country only to find it has been developed into a place with little trace of the qualities that once made it so desirable.

McKee Carson and Qroe Farm Preservation Development worked together on an innovative approach to this common dilemma. The overarching premise of Qroe Farm Preservation Development is that ‘good land use must grow from the ground up; that meaningful conservation is done in concert with and not in isolation from the people and the community it is meant to serve; and that the physical and financial preservation of active farming and nature should and can be an integral and vital part of the package…’ (Qroe Farm’s Land Use Philosophy). The Qroe Farm premise dovetails nicely with McKee Carson’s own philosophy of culturally and environmentally sustainable land planning and design.

It was McKee Carson’s charge to implement the Qroe philosophy at all levels of design development and construction. From conceptual Master Planning to detailed construction documentation and engineering of systems such as alternative stormwater management and conscientious road designs, McKee Carson worked with Qroe Farm Development to create a community that will enjoy, protect and enhance the farm and its adjacent natural amenities.

Driving through the valley, one would never suspect the number of people who will call it home. House sites have been carefully chosen to take advantage of views without being visible themselves. Lying lightly on the land, the roads and driveways will be as unobtrusive as possible and take advantage of bioswales and bioretention areas to attenuate stormwater flows. Housing types will range from secluded and private to villages of 5-10 houses, all of which will leave at least 80 percent of the farm undisturbed.

For the project Storybook click the following link.  Bundoran Farm