Partridgeberry Place

Ipswich, Massachusetts

Partridgeberry Place is one of the first open-space residential design projects built in Ipswich, Massachusetts. The goal of the project was to develop a twenty home subdivision on 38 acres of land in the Ipswich River watershed while minimizing the impact to the surrounding natural resources and preserving as much green space as possible.

Low Impact Development (LID) techniques were used to minimize environmental disturbances to the land. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation selected our design as a LID subdivision demonstration project. The LID features included minimization of land disturbance with reduced impervious surfaces and overall development footprint. The sustainable design substantially reduced lot size, and the reduced setback permitted the dedication of 28 acres of natural open space, equating to approximately 82% of the land parcel. Additional design elements included grass pavers for visitors’ parking, an open grass swale that drains to a central bio-retention area, and a rain garden. The community utilizes a shared septic system to preserve more open space, as it allows for onsite treatment of wastewater. This design was developed in collaboration with Randall Arandt, a noted expert in creative open space planning.

The Partridgeberry Place project received the 2004 U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Merit Award.