A quotation from the Maryland Department of the Environment

“The [Village Down River] Project site design emphasizes the conservation of natural areas, minimizes site disturbance, reduces impervious surfaces, and utilizes natural landscape features for storm water management whenever possible.” – Gary T. Setzer, Maryland Department of the Environment

Environmentally Friendly Communities

The Village Down River has been designed to be one of the Eastern Shore’s most environmentally friendly communities. By clustering home sites, more than half of the development’s land will be open space dedicated for passive recreation, including bird watching, hiking, and biking.

Special care has been taken to ensure that the community offers residents a green lifestyle, including:

• A "green community" featuring natural bio-retention ponds, gentle sloped grassed drainage swales, streetscapes and rain gardens.
• All residual forrested area disturbed during development will be reforested with native species of plants and trees, ensuring a diverse habitat for the Shore’s wildlife.
• Wildlife management ponds with food source plantings will attract migratory birds and preserve the area’s habitat. Bluebird trails and wood duck nesting structures will be installed throughout the community.
• More than one acre of native orchards will be established within the community.
• A green belt of “Living Fences” will separate lot lines and create a wildlife buffer for the community. Homeowners may elect to create backyard habitats and enlist their property in the Maryland Green Acres Backyard Habitat Program.
• Storm water is managed by gentle grass swales, rain gardens, and drip lines to eliminate unhealthy storm water ponds, protect the region’s water quality, and conserve environmental resources.
• The use of impervious surfaces will be minimized to reduce brown water runoff into the Wicomico River.
• A conservation restriction will be placed on the wetlands and riparian buffers which can only be used for passive recreation.
• Soft engineering approach will be utilized on shoreline rehabilitation utilizing bio logs and vegetative matting.

To learn more about the Village Down River’s unique green living philosophy, fill out our contact request form.