Seven Springs Fancy Gap (Patrick & Carroll Counties) VA Careful planning and siting protects the natural environment on a rugged site while accomodating development. Situated adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway in southwestern Virginia lies a community of about 125 homesteads on 600+ acres of steeply-sloping land. Known as Seven Springs, the community includes tracts of two to ten acres surrounded by heavily treed stream valleys. CompositeInc. prepared the Master Plan and located each homesite only after thorough analysis and ground-truthing. Significant trees, rock outcrops, perennial and ephemeral springs, and rock-strewn streams characterize the rugged terrain. Careful assessment of the siteās aspect and views to distant foothills and bottomlands guided the development of the plan. Due to the rugged nature of the land, Composite's landscape architects worked in three dimensions, preparing road alignments and profiles simultaneously - adjusting and refining each with the other. Streams and springs were protected, native stands of rhododendron were preserved, and roads aligned to minimize erosion of the steep slopes. The landscape architects also sought to protect views from the adjacent Blue Ridge Parkway (a National Park Service facility) while providing gateways to the community that complement the rural character of the High Country. The developer owns and operates a nearby resort community (Doe Run at Groundhog Mountain). He has showcased loghomes modified to reflect the Blue Ridge vernacular and is currently marketing homesites on a phased basis. The project is an excellent example of how development can be accomodated on an environmentally challenging site without compromising the intrinsic quality of the landscape.

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