The River District earns sustainability designation rarely awarded in the U.S.
The River District — Crescent Communities' 1,400-acre development under construction in west Charlotte — has earned a rare designation for the way it blends urban living with nature.
Why it matters: The only other U.S. communities that are "One Planet Living Leaders" are in California and Washington — places that are much better known for their sustainability investments than North Carolina.
How it works: One Planet Living is a framework developed by the South London-based sustainability consultancy Bioregional. It recognizes developments that promote healthy lifestyles in harmony with nature, while still preserving space for wildlife and natural ecosystems.
Charlotte-based developer Crescent Communities has intentionally worked on The River District with One Planet Living's principles in mind.
"It's woven into every decision that we're making," says Crescent Communities' stewardship manager, Erika Ruane.
The big picture: The River District master plan will turn Charlotte's largest stretch of undeveloped land, along the Catawba River, into 2,300 single-family homes, 2,350 multi-family units and up to 8 million square feet of commercial space.
Yes, but: The long-term plan also preserves over 500 acres of nature, some of which will be greenways, trails and parks, as well as a 2-acre farm and new access to the Catawba River.
Bioregional notes that The River District is "pioneering new approaches not previously seen in North Carolina or the southern states of the U.S."
The River District also promotes biking and walking, with proximity to a town center, school, and other retail, so residents are less dependent on their cars.
Zoom in: Ruane says the planning behind The River District is very intentional, even the small details. For example:
Crescent planted Zoysia grass, a more expensive turf but one that is drought-tolerant and dense enough to choke out weeds, reducing the need for extra water and herbicides. Although non-native, the species is regionally appropriate, considering climate change, Ruane says.
Boulders discovered during construction were repurposed for a grade break, rather than being hauled to the dump, and a new concrete retaining wall was built.
Crescent used wood from some of the area's harvested trees to build 13 birdhouses for the preserved woodlands. A biodiversity study helped Crescent identify which species live at The River District and how their habitats could be supported.
Zoom out: The other U.S. communities to receive the One Planet Living Leader are:
SOMO Village, north of San Francisco, puts residents within a five-minute walk of the town square, is home to many sustainability-focused companies and has over 16,000 solar panels. Like The River District, it also has a 2-acre farm.
Grow Community on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, describes itself as an "alternative to traditional suburbia," with all-electric homes, only one car parking space per property, shared gardens and an orchard.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Carbondale City Hall foyer to get facelift, display donated historic items
Carbondale native Frank 'Chauncey' Zazzera donated four handmade models of historic Carbondale buildings to the city to honor his late best friend and share the history of his hometown. While the 81-year-old who now lives in Fell Twp. hoped the city would display the replicas — the former Carbondale viaduct, a Delaware and Hudson Gravity Railroad roundhouse that was once in the city, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and the Pugliano building at Enterprise Drive and Dundaff Street — his donation inspired a renovation project to give Carbondale's 130-year-old-plus City Hall a revitalized foyer. The replicas were all handcrafted by fellow Carbondale native Harold Ort, and Zazzera donated them to the city in honor of his longtime best friend, Roy Miley of Carbondale, who died in 2023. 'I'd just like the people of Carbondale to really enjoy it. I just don't want them to stay in my attic. Who's going to see them up there?' Zazzera said. 'This way, everybody can see them and reminisce.' Models that were inspired by churches in Carbondale will be displayed in the foyer of Carbondale City Hall Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Built in 1892-1894, Carbondale City Hall at 1 N. Main St. is a Romanesque Revival-style brick and bluestone building that has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983, according to a building study in January by Martina Bacarella Architect, a Scranton-based architecture studio. City Hall underwent a comprehensive renovation project in 1996 that included upgrading the fire-suppression system, redesigning the council chambers, installing an elevator and enclosing a staircase in the rear of the building for accessibility, but the improvements didn't touch the foyer aside from adding the current oak doors into City Hall, Mayor Michele Bannon said. The front of Carbondale City Hall Tuesday. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) When Zazzera approached her about donating his collection of replicas to display in City Hall, Bannon thought it would be the perfect opportunity to upgrade the foyer. 'When you walk into a grand building like City Hall … you want it to be beautiful. You want it to be opulent,' she said. 'I thought that'd be a great way to show off our history, but at the same time, make it an elegant piece of the building.' Now, work is underway to upgrade the foyer's interior, with Bannon hoping to finish the improvements by the end of the month using a $3,000 grant from the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. The city is also in the engineering phase of a project to upgrade its police station, which is in City Hall, including upgraded workstations for officers and enhanced security, she said. The police station project will use $300,000 in funds from the state's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, or RACP, Bannon said. She hopes to complete the police station project this year, though it could spill over into 2026. A view of the interior of Carbondale City Hall Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) City Hall's foyer is currently being repainted, with other work including new furniture like railroad-style benches, displays for Zazzera's donations, revitalized tile flooring and potentially more lighting, said Bannon, who lauded the donated labor the city has received. For interior design, a local woman, Lynn Wallis, toured the foyer and gave the city suggestions for color palettes, furniture and displays. Adams Cable donated large, framed prints of historic Carbondale scenes to display; Councilman Walter Martzen refurbished and re-plastered a water-damaged wall; city zoning and code enforcement officer Doug Calzola, who is also a contractor, is overseeing the project; residents Margie Famularo and Marjanie Hellman provided technical assistance and support; and inmates from SCI Waymart are painting the interior, Bannon said. 'Everything is volunteer — the only thing we've paid for are materials,' she said. 'Every single person has donated their time, their treasures and their talent.' For Zazzera, displaying the replicas will showcase pieces of Carbondale's history that younger generations never got to see, especially regarding the D&H Railroad and its history. 'It's part of our history, and it's never going to go away,' Zazzera said. Zazzera recalled Ort, who he knew since the 1960s, building the models himself as part of a sprawling Lionel model train collection. Ort was a master electrician, Zazzera said. 'He was a very clever fellow,' he said, noting the viaduct and roundhouse were both made to scale. 'He had so many switches and components in that roundhouse that the actual turntable inside the roundhouse would turn.' After Ort died in 2018, Zazzera and his late best friend, Miley, approached Ort's wife to buy some of the buildings from his collection. When Miley passed away in 2023, Zazzera reached out to the Carbondale Historical Society about donating the items, but with the society tucked away on the third floor of City Hall, he hoped more people could see them, prompting him to contact Bannon. 'I want them someplace that people could see and appreciate what this is,' he said. The displays will be in memory of Miley while crediting Ort for making them, Zazzera said. In the future, Bannon wants to seek grant funding to address City Hall's exterior, with the largest expense being to replace its single-pane windows, which are original to the building. Several years ago, the city received an estimate that replacing the windows would cost nearly $1 million, she said. 'How can we expect developers and investors and existing business owners to make improvements in their properties if we're not willing to do them in ours?' Bannon said, emphasizing the need to use grants, donations and volunteerism to avoid overburdening taxpayers. 'I can't embellish enough how blessed we are to have so many people who want to see us thrive.'
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kennebunk mourns loss of Shiloh Schulte: 'He's the kind of person you want in the world'
KENNEBUNK, Maine — As the community mourns the death of Shiloh Schulte, one of its most liked, respected, and dedicated citizens, there is one word that Select Board member Kortney Nedeau says describes the loss. 'It's immeasurable,' Nedeau said. 'It's just such a shock. He was the kind of person you want in the world.' Schulte, 46, died in a helicopter crash while conducting conservation work in Alaska on June 4. As outpourings from the community have shown, the former chair of the Kennebunk Select Board will long be cherished and remembered as a kind, energetic, and generous man who was devoted to his family, dedicated to his hometown, and passionate about celebrating and protecting nature, especially its birds. On social media, for example, Nedeau provided a heartfelt example of Schulte's impact as a community member and his ability to inspire others. She said Schulte was one of the reasons that she ran for a seat on the Select Board five years ago. 'He was encouraging, courageous, genuine, even-tempered, and fair,' Nedeau wrote in a post. 'It was such an honor to serve the town of Kennebunk in such a thankless job with someone who understood our work was above ourselves ... He was so humble, insightful, and honest.' Nedeau expanded on Schulte's character during an interview. 'He was unassuming,' she said. 'He was always listening first and was the last to speak. He always rose to the occasion. He always showed up.' And his impact went well beyond Kennebunk, Nedeau noted, so much so that she imagined that the duties of small-town government and community volunteering must have been a 'piece of cake' when compared to the hard work he accomplished throughout the world. More: Conservationist Shiloh Schulte, of Kennebunk, dies in research helicopter crash in Alaska Schulte worked with Manomet Conservation Sciences, a Massachusetts-based organization dedicated to using 'science and collaboration to improve the health of flyways, coastal ecosystems, and working land and seas,' according to its website. Among his contributions, Schulte coordinated the organization's American Oystercatcher Recovery Program and is credited with helping to rebuild the presence of that large shorebird – once believed to be completely out of existence locally – by as much as 45%. Nedeau said she and her colleagues on the Select Board would always know where Schulte would be come summertime as they worked out their meeting schedule for June, July, and August. Schulte, she said, would always tell them, 'I'll be in a tent, in the Arctic, unreachable – so do whatever works best for you guys.' Indeed, with June here, Schulte was in Alaska, pursuing his passions, fulfilling his commitment to protecting nature, and meeting his responsibility to future generations. 'Shiloh gave his life in the service of something greater than himself, dedicating himself to preserving the natural world for future generations," Manomet Conservation Sciences said in a statement announcing the tragedy. Schulte also was an avid and accomplished runner, who became the top Maine finisher of the Boston Marathon in 2019, completing the race in two hours and 39 minutes, according to the Dirigo Run Club, to which he belonged. In a social media post, the club described Schulte as 'known to always have a smile on his face' and as a 'fierce competitor.' Schulte served on the Kennebunk Select Board for a few years before ascending to the chair in the summer of 2022. Nedeau nominated him for the post, praising him as someone who knew how to lead a meeting, and who had a 'really great way about him to move things forward, regardless of where he is on the spectrum of an issue.' Schulte succeeded longtime Select Board member Blake Baldwin as chair. Anyone who followed the Select Board meetings during Baldwin's tenure could see the respect and esteem Baldwin had for Schulte and for the contributions he made to the discussions and hard decisions about town issues. 'He was the cool head that calmed troubled waters,' Baldwin said during a phone interview. 'For that, I was grateful to have him on the board, not just as a colleague but as a friend.' A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Schulte's family, including his wife and their two daughters. The GoFundMe campaign has a goal of $45,000. By the early afternoon of June 9, a total of $39,062 already had been raised. On the GoFundMe page, Schulte's family also refers to his passion for the natural world, describing him as an explorer of forests, wetlands and birds since an early age. Importantly, though, Schulte was more than a scientist, his family says on the fundraising page. 'He was a devoted husband and father, a loving son and brother, a generous neighbor, and a pillar of his community,' they said. 'Shiloh gave his all – always with a warm heart and a boundless energy.' In his interview, Baldwin also spoke of what Schulte was and always will be, not just to him, but to others. He spoke of Schulte's compassion for other people. In describing the impact that Schulte had, Baldwin referred to one of the most beloved movies of all time, 'It's a Wonderful Life.' In that Christmas classic, Clarence, the angel who is trying to earn his wings, explains to George Bailey, who wished he had never been born, what happens when people lose someone they love. Some people leave a big hole, Clarence said. Some people are part of your soul, Baldwin said, and when they are gone, 'they leave a big hole.' Said Baldwin, 'Shiloh is one of those people.' This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunk mourns loss former Select Board chair Shiloh Schulte
Newsweek
21 hours ago
- Newsweek
Puppy Ready To Meet Adopters but They Never Showed, Then Euthanasia Loomed
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Hearts have broken when a German Shepherd facing euthanasia was adopted, only for her new owners to never show up to collect her. Everyone was delighted when Flora, just 8 months old, was adopted. But after the shelter had arranged her spay appointment, the adoptive family never returned to collect her. "Her potential adopters completed the paperwork, and she stayed for her spay surgery. However, when it was time for pickup, they never came, and the shelter hasn't heard from them since. It's disheartening to see people change their minds when a dog's life hangs in the balance," Amanda Downes, from California-based Advocate 4 Paws who network dogs at high-risk shelters told Newsweek. Flora the German Shepherd who was left at the shelter after being adopted. Flora the German Shepherd who was left at the shelter after being adopted. @advocate4paws/Instagram Flora was found as a stray, and like many dogs in shelters across the U.S., was facing euthanasia. According to Shelter Animals Count, around 748,000 animals experienced non-live outcomes, including euthanasia, in 2024. While this represents a 1.6 per cent decrease compared to 2023 and a 20 per cent drop from 2019, the number remains high. Placed at Stanislaus Animal Services Agency, her future looked bleak. "Currently, dogs in the Stanislaus Shelter are given about a month before being placed on the euthanasia list. The shelter is severely over capacity, housing 330 dogs when it's only meant for 180, with more coming in daily," Downes explained. In 2024, approximately 7 million animals entered U.S. shelters and rescues, according to Shelter Animals Count—an increase of nearly 3 percent from 2023. By the end of the year, 103,000 more pets had entered shelters than had exited, contributing to an ongoing capacity crisis in U.S. shelters. There has been a positive update in Flora's story: a rescue has stepped to take over her care. There has been a positive update in Flora's story: a rescue has stepped to take over her care. @advocate4paws/Instagram "She is a typical happy-go-lucky puppy who is all tail wags and gets along well with other dogs," Downes said. "She's an affectionate 8-month-old German Shepherd mix who enjoys attention from shelter volunteers and she just loves people. She's such a great puppy, I can't believe her adopters didn't come back for her." Thankfully, there has been a positive update in Flora's story: a rescue has stepped to take over her care, and Downes hopes that she will soon have a home to call her own. "We want Flora to never see the inside of a shelter again and pray that her forever home is on the horizon, she deserves it," she said. Despite Flora's happy ending, there are still many dogs in need, and Downes hopes that sharing their stories will help them find a rescue too, and encourage more people to adopt or foster. "We hope that her story, along with others we share, will highlight the shelter crisis and encourage more people to open their homes to foster dogs to help lighten the load," she said. Flora isn't the only dog having a tough time being adopted. Earlier this month a dog called Dexter gained viral attention after his shelter revealed he has been returned by adopters five times. While Duke the terrier mix gained sympathy after he was returned just one day after being adopted.
