Cluster Housing Case Studies

Issues Addressed:
Housing Options Infrastructure Sustainable Housing

Nubanusit Neighborhood and Farm, Peterborough, NH

The Nubanusit Neighborhood and Farm is an intentional community and cohousing development in a conservation subdivision in Peterborough. The 113-acre neighborhood includes 29 environmentally sensitive farmhouse-style homes, clustered around a working farm and common indoor and outdoor spaces. The development was enabled by a zoning change by the Town of Peterborough, and it includes single-family, duplex, and four-plex units.
Clustered homes in the Nubanusit Neighborhood and Farm development in Peterborough. (Clive Russ via Harvard Magazine)

Terrell Farm, Nashua, NH

Until the 21st Century, the Terrell Homestead was an eighth generation dairy farm on 74 acres in southeast Nashua. In 2011, the Terrell family sold most of the property to the City for permanent conservation. In 2019, the last 25 acres were sold to Etchstone Properties for development under the City’s Conservation Subdivision rules. The new development provides 25 new three-bedroom, single-family homes of less than 2,000 square feet each. dThe development includes three conserved areas with wetlands, hayfields, and nature trails that connect to other parks. The homes are sold as condominiums, with the land held by a nonprofit condominium association.
A site plan for the Terrell Farms development in Nashua. (Etchstone Real Estate)

Brandywine at Thornbury, PA

The Brandywine at Thornbury is a conservation subdivision on the rural fringe of the Philadelphia Suburbs. The development consists of single-family homes, townhomes, and carriage houses set on over 200 acres of land. The developed areas feature closely sited homes with small front setbacks and sidewalks, in order to encourage interaction between neighbors. The open spaces feature a riparian reserve surrounding a stream, trails, basketball and tennis courts, playgrounds, and community spaces. (Chester County, PA’s conservation zoning calls for 20% active open space). The community also includes a daycare center.

State Law

Resources

Related Tools

A diagram of an idealized age-friendly neighborhood. The neighborhood includes a mix of housing types, including detached single-family homes of various sizes, mixed-use buildings, and a cottage court. The diagram includes the following labels pointing to aspects of the drawing: "Nearby retail, community center, and open space;" "Diverse housing options, including apartments and starter homes;" "Single-story housing layouts with shared amenities;" "Sidewalks and other accessible infrastructure;" and "Accessory dwelling units for multi-generational households."
Age Friendly Neighborhoods
A drawing of a plot of land. Most of the land is shown in green and planted with trees, with two small houses. It is labeled "Sending Zone: Land owners sell development permissions to preserve open space/agriculture." A smaller area is grayed out and shows many buildings. It is labeled "Receiving Zone: Land owners buy development permissions to increase allowed density."
Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)
A diagram of a parcel of land. On the top is a mix of one- to three-story buildings, many with an apparent mix of uses, sitting along the intersection of two roads. This is labeled "Mix of uses using traditional village design." Lines at the edges of this area point draw down, showing this area is at the center of a larger area shown in dark green and apparently undeveloped. It is labeled "80% of rural and conserved in VPA."
Village Plan Alternative (VPA)
A diagram of a single-family subdivision with twelve homes. Eight homes in red are labeled "Base Market-Rate Units." Two homes in yellow are labeled "Affordable Units." Two homes in blue are labeled "Bonus Market-Rate Units."
Inclusionary Zoning
A diagram showing the front facades of housing types and given labels: small single-family, townhomes (attached single-family), cottage court (grouped small single-family), duplex, stacked duplex, triplex, stacked triplex, four-plex, six-pack, courtyard apartments.
Missing Middle Housing Types
A subdivision of eight single-family homes surrounding a central green. The plot of land is labeled "Site plan that allows for community septic, prioritizing shared open space." Underground pipes lead from each home into a large underground box labeled "Joint septic tank." A pipe leads from that box into a smaller underground box labeled "Pre-treatment system." A pipe extends from that box and branches into many pipes with holes in them under a green area labeled "Community open space that doubles as a leach field."
Wastewater System Alternatives