Green Amenities
(From Builder November 2008): Builders and developers are eschewing traditional amenities for natural features: At Silver Woods in Ocean Vie, Del., builder/developer Robert Thornton chose to weave board-walked trails dotted with bird feeders through his 350-plus lots rather than cover up the wooded parcel with conventional attractions such as tennis courts. “We’re using the natural benefits of the land as an amenity,” he says. “It may cost me a few lots {to preserve trees and other organic elements}, but it’s value gained, not money lost.”