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Paradise Found
Why a developer and a group of builders and architects are going against the grain of suburban sprawl to build a traditional neighborhood in the heart of Mississippi.
Text by Judi Ketteler
Lost Rabbit is a Traditional Neighborhood Development in Madison County Mississippi. The new community draws on the building traditions of the South to create a warm welcoming sense of place in its house designs.
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When Mark Frascogna was 12 years old, his mother went to Europe—and came back with the most amazing photographs of English villages and Italian hillside towns. Frascogna would grow up to be a land developer, but as a kid, he just knew that he loved the ways those places looked—quaint town centers that flowed organically into the countryside and houses built by various generations that all looked like they belonged. Where were these kinds of cities in the southeast where he was growing up, he wondered?
It turns out that it was much more than just a kid dreaming: in the decades to come, this kind of thinking would evolve into New Urbanism—a compact, mixed-use, and walkable pattern of development, where the streets are narrower, the architecture of the houses and buildings reflects the history and makes sense in that space, and the town center is easily accessible by foot. Seaside, Florida—designed by architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (principals of the firm DPZ)—was one of the first New Urbanist developments (also called Traditional Neighborhood Development, or TND). Frascogna was fascinated with Seaside early on, and when 260 wooded acres in Madison County, Mississippi, became available, he jumped at the chance to develop a New Urbanist community. Thus, Lost Rabbit was born.
Located along the Natchez Trace Parkway, Lost Rabbit is based on traditional neighborhood principles, says Michael Barranco, founder of Barranco Architecture and the lead architect for Lost Rabbit. "It's based on how neighborhoods used to be built," he says, modeled after European villages and hill towns and American colonial communities. It's a deliberate decision to build against suburban sprawl, which is characterized by homes that are unnaturally large and unrelated to any historical tradition. "We've hoodwinked people into thinking that that type of building is quality," Barranco says. A community like Lost Rabbit—where the architecture and the sense of place and walkability are supremely important—represents a clear departure.
Lost Rabbit's showhouse's study is traditional in architectural detailing in its French doors and built-in cabinetry. |
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New Urbanist pioneer DPZ developed the town plan, which is based on the scale of a neighborhood—approximately a quarter of a mile, or a five-minute walk. There are three parts to Lost Rabbit, and each will be developed in phases—the town center, the Garden District, and the Lakes District. "We wanted three decidedly different neighborhoods with different character," says Steve Mouzan, an architect and principal of the New Urban Guild, who acted as a consultant on the Lost Rabbit project.
The town center construction began last year. It was designed with a city like Portofino, Italy, in mind. Built around a marina, it contains mixed-use buildings—retail, office, restaurants, nightlife, townhouses—and is easily accessible, so that a car isn't necessary (cars aren't banned though). The streets at the town center "crank," or angle and break slightly, and there are piazzas for gathering. A few blocks from the town center, the Garden District is primarily residential and is designed in the style of a grid—strongly resembling American colonial towns. The last phase will be the Lakes District, which has a more rural character—more like a 1920s neighborhood.
Deciding on a style of architecture for the homes in Lost Rabbit was an extensive and carefully thought-out process. Mouzan helped to lead the planning meetings, or "charrettes," where architects discussed various styles. They ultimately decided on French Colonial as the dominant style. "It's the indigenous architecture of the region, and we decided it was the single best architecture for the space—which is what TND is all about," Mouzan says. Keeping the architecture to one predominant style doesn't mean that all of the homes will look the same: There is still plenty of room for innovation and originality. But it does mean that each home has to abide by a certain architectural code—to ensure both integrity of form and quality.
The town center operates around a marina.
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There will be 600 housing units in total, Barranco says, including townhouses, cottages, and large houses. Smaller units could go for around $300,000, with the biggest homes selling for a few million. All of the homes are the same quality though, Mouzan says: "We're not sacrificing that."
Design work started about four years ago, and home construction began two years ago. About 40 houses have been completed so far, and the first residents have already moved in. Frascogna plans to build about 25 homes a year, stretching it over about 12 years. "We want to create a credible neighborhood," he says, not one that appears to have just popped up overnight. Young professionals and empty nesters seem to be the big buyers so far, Barranco says, but he expects the community to attract many different types.
The idea is to create a self-contained, sustainable community, with organic gardens, plenty of places to walk, a sports complex, and a town center that serves all of the residents' basic needs. "We're trying to encourage as much pedestrian and bike activity as possible," Barranco says. Eventually, Lost Rabbit might include a school and a church—they have reserved civic sites that could be used for those types of structures.
"New Urbanism has only begun to relearn the basics of how to build something as great as an Italian hill town or the Cotswolds," Mouzan says. For now, the learning curve continues, with the hope that Lost Rabbit will develop into that special kind of place—a new town with an old feel, where everything looks as if it belongs.
Judi Ketteler is a freelance writer.
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