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Coincidentally, the current land owner of the Hart’s Mill site is a retired police chief and security <br />consultant who has previously implemented CPTED in urban and college campus environments. <br />She concurs that our proposed approach is appropriate for this project. <br />We hope this addresses the concern and demonstrates our adherence to the principal. <br /> <br />WATER USE IN THE LANDSCAPE <br />Efficiently and effectively managing water in the landscape is a core principle of the <br />permaculture theory and practice that will guide landscaping, agriculture and forestry at Hart’s <br />Mill. We are also keenly aware of the likelihood of increased frequency and intensity of drought <br />in our area. <br />Hart’s Mill proposes to incorporate landscape design and management strategies derived from <br />permaculture, low impact development (LID) and xeriscaping. A brief summary of those follows, <br />and a more detailed description is attached, along with list of drought resistant plant materials <br />recommended for our area. <br />Permaculture and low impact development utilize a systems approach that emulates natural <br />processes with distributed small-scale practices throughout the landscape. The emphasis is on <br />simple, nonstructural, low-tech, and low-cost methods which retain rainfall in the landscape as <br />close to where it hits the ground as possible. These include: <br /> bioretention areas (“rain gardens”) <br /> vegetated swales, buffers, and strips <br /> rain barrels and cisterns <br /> permeable pavers <br /> impervious surface reduction <br /> <br />Combining water conservation techniques with landscaping is a concept known as Xeriscape or <br />dry landscape. Xeriscape is a term coined in a Denver, Colorado program designed to promote <br />water conservation in the landscape. While the idea began in the western United States where <br />landscapes can be truly dry, the same water-saving principles apply to the Southeast. <br /> <br />Xeriscaping combines sound horticultural practices to conserve water while maintaining a <br />beautiful landscape. The seven basic Xeriscape principles are: <br />1) Careful planning and design <br />Take into consideration topography, drainage, microclimates, and hydrozones; limit <br />irrigated areas <br />2) Appropriate, smaller lawn areas <br />Utilize low-maintenance, drought-tolerant grass species in smaller areas; limit or <br />eliminate lawn irrigation <br />38