First, and foremost, Breakaway was conceived as a new town. In fact, it is the first new American hill town in over 100 years. More importantly, however, Breakaway sprung from an appreciation of good planning and design in built spaces. To that end, the community follows many principles that have collectively become known as – New Urbanism. In short, the idea represents a return to traditional town planning. Some of the principles that inform well-thought-out design are a diverse mix of people, uses and architecture, all designed with humans in mind.
Communities based on these design concepts are often small, making them largely walkable and self-contained. These neighborhoods, often referred to as Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs) are generally at least 40 acres in size. They also often adhere to architecture and landscape design ideas that are on a human scale, and honor the vernacular of the region in which they are built, while following classic design principles.
How does Breakaway stack up among the New Urbanist, town planning and design principles? Let’s take a look.
The heart of the New Urbanism is in the design of neighborhoods, which can be defined by 13 elements, according to town planners Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, two of the founders of the Congress for the New Urbanism. An authentic neighborhood contains most of these elements.
1) The neighborhood has a discernible center. This is often a square or a green and sometimes a busy or memorable street corner. A transit stop would be located at this center.
Breakaway has Breakaway Village. Located in the center of Breakaway, the 4 acre village serves as the heart of the community. In addition, the heart of Breakaway Village is the town square – which is a park in the center of the village.
2) Most of the dwellings are within a five-minute walk of the center, an average of roughly 2,000 feet.
This is also true at Breakaway. All of our homesites are within 2,000 feet of Breakaway Village. Further, we have designed all of our main roads to follow a grade that makes them easily walked or biked. Finally, we have provided walk paths between streets to cut across the property to and from the village center.
3) There are a variety of dwelling types — usually houses of different sizes, row houses and apartments — so that younger and older people, singles and families, can find places to live.
In Breakaway we have many different dwelling types. First, we have single-family homes (of which there are 5 different types/sizes). In addition, we will have townhouses, condominiums, and flats. This diversity of housing types provides for a diversity of ages, income levels and interests, among the residents.
4) At the edge of the neighborhood, there are shops and offices of sufficiently varied types to supply the weekly needs of a household.
Surrounding Breakaway are all of the commercial properties, shops, restaurants, etc., for the area. In addition, with Breakaway Village, we will have plenty of commercial space in the village to accommodate the needs of our residents.
5) A small ancillary building is permitted within the backyard of many of the houses. It may be used as a rental unit or place to work (e.g., office or craft workshop).
In Breakaway, certain homesites are coded to allow for carriage houses, guest houses and small outbuildings.
6) An elementary school is close enough so that most children can walk from their home.
While there are public and private schools in the towns near Breakaway, such as Mars Hill, Weaverville, and Asheville, for most residents Breakaway is primarily a vacation and second home community. Therefore, no schools are planned on Breakaway property.
7) There are small public playgrounds/parks, accessible to every dwelling — not more than a tenth of a mile away.
We have a number of playgrounds, parks and public spaces designed into the community of Breakaway.
8) Streets within the neighborhood form a connected network, which disperses traffic by providing a variety of pedestrian and vehicular routes to any destination.
Breakaway has no dead end streets, culdesacs or other, non-connected vehicular roads, except those terminations that serve a specific purpose in the activities of the neighborhood. All major roads lead to the village center, and all ancillary roads connect with a major road.
9) The streets are relatively narrow and shaded by rows of trees. This slows traffic, creating an environment suitable for pedestrians and bicycles.
Streets in Breakaway are designed to be 18, 19 or 20 feet wide depending on location and use. Alleys are 12 feet wide. Every road is designed with a sidewalk on at least one side. Often there is a sidewalk on both sides. Further, tree islands are designed into the streetscape to provide cover.
10) Buildings in the neighborhood center are placed close to the street, creating a well-defined “outdoor room.”
All buildings in Breakaway Village are designed at the sidewalk. Many sidewalks in the village center are 10 feet wide to provide ample space for outdoor cafes, tables, chairs and benches. Further, the central green is designed to be surrounded by streets that contribute to central public gathering place.
11) Parking lots and garage doors rarely front the street. Parking is relegated to the rear of buildings, usually accessed by alleys.
Where possible, we have designed alleys into the community, and in those instances vehicular parking is at the rear. Where alleys were not possible due to grade and slope constraints, we have designed the homesites to provide for attached and detached garages that meet the local character of Asheville.
12) Certain prominent sites at the termination of street vistas or in the neighborhood center are reserved for civic buildings. These provide sites for community meetings, education, and religious or cultural activities.
Many of the sites that terminate vistas in Breakaway have been reserved for public buildings, parks, pavilions, and other structures of interest. All homes built on terminating vista homesites, must meet a special group of standards to ensure that they terminate the view appropriately.
13) The neighborhood is organized to be self-governing. A formal association debates and decides matters of maintenance, security, and physical change. Taxation is the responsibility of the larger community.
Breakaway affairs will be governed by the Home Owners’ Association, which will have the responsibility of providing for the maintenance of the community.
How did we do? Despite the topographical limitations and constraints, we have taken every measure possible to ensure that Breakaway follows the design principles that foster the building of great spaces. We think you will agree that Breakaway is an amazing neighborhood design, and, is growing into the town its founders imagined when it started.
