Manistee Township, Michigan

Once a thriving orchard overlooking Lake Michigan in Manistee Township, Douglas Valley Conservation

Subdivision commanded its own stop on the railroad that bisects the property. Economic pressures forced active fruit production to end, and the client chose to develop the property as a conservation subdivision to lessen the impact on the rural character of the area and upon the land itself. The Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio combined the elements of a desirable place to live, a thriving organic agricultural production facility, specialty retail shops, and a health spa to create a place people are drawn to visit for a day, a week, a month, or even a lifetime. This project stands out as a new model for sustainable agriculture and residential development in harmony with the land. The JHLE Studio prepared a plan that clustered the housing, allowing much of the land to remain open, while taking advantage of views to Lake Michigan, and disturbing as little of the site as possible.