The natural surroundings of the neighborhood is host to many features that go along with green living such as; pedestrian and bike paths, community gardens, composting and recycling areas, native vegetation, large areas of undeveloped natural space, and storm water collection. These features allow the development to have a reduced impact on the natural elements of the area making it a sanctuary for wildlife, and a great place to live for people and families in all stages of all life. Sustainability is also a major consideration of “Living at New West Lake”. Both active and passive ideas are brought to the design of each building and planning of the community as a whole. Passive elements like thermal massing from building materials and the lake help to mitigate temperature extremes within the living environments, while active elements such as geothermal, solar hot water and photovoltaic contribute to the community’s generation of renewable energy and ultimately their annual “net zero energy” goal.
