The first developed phase of The Palisades -- the 1,600-acre community in Southwest Charlotte on ecologically sensitive Lake Wylie -- has been certified as meeting the rigorous environmental standards of Audubon International's Gold Signature Program.
With this designation, The Palisades is now one of only five master-planned golf communities in the world -- and the first in North Carolina -- to have residential neighborhoods and a golf course certified as a Gold Audubon International Signature Sanctuary.
The Palisades is the first combined residential, commercial and golf course master-planned community in the world, offering a broad price range of homes from executive to luxury, based on a land plan approved by Audubon International's Gold Signature Program.
With the completion of the commercial component of The Palisades, and approval of that phase by Audubon International, The Palisades expects to be the first combined commercial, residential and golf course community in the world offering a broad price range of homes to earn Audubon International's prestigious Gold Signature designation.
A project of Rhein Palisades, LLC, a Rhein Medall Community, The Palisades certification is the result of intensive planning, implementation of best practices, and careful, innovative development methods designed to preserve wildlife habitats, leave large areas of forest intact, and protect -- and even improve -- the water quality of Lake Wylie. Although zoned for 4,500 homes, Rhein Medall has chosen to develop The Palisades for approximately 2,500 homes. In addition, over 30 percent of the land has been set aside for perpetuity as open space, and most of that has been left in its natural state.
"The Palisades represents our commitment to creating communities while preserving and honoring the environment," says Jim Medall, president of Rhein Medall Communities. "We are proud to be recognized by Audubon International for the time and work we've invested creating The Palisades, and very pleased to be among the five other golf communities in the world to have earned Audubon International's elite Gold designation."
Audubon International's certification of The Palisades was confirmed July 8, following an extensive on-site audit of the community by Audubon International staff. "This is an extraordinary achievement," says Nancy Richardson, director of Audubon International's Signature Program. "Signature certification is awarded only to new developments that are designed, constructed and maintained according to Audubon International's precise planning standards and environmental disciplines." To date, only 11 properties world-wide have achieved the coveted Gold Signature certification, Richardson adds.
"We're very excited about the certification and are looking forward to growing our community within the context of the Audubon International program," Medall says. "There is a great deal of interest in building homes in communities that are sensitive to the environment and both building, and living, in harmony with nature."
As new phases of The Palisades are built, Audubon International will conduct new certification audits to ensure that each new section of the community continues to adhere to Audubon's strict principles of environmental sustainability. In addition, Audubon International will conduct annual recertification audits at The Palisades.
Over four years in the making, certification of The Palisades as a Gold Audubon International Signature Sanctuary began with a $1 million land and water quality plan, followed by rigorous efforts to develop the community with best environmental practices that reduce the fertilizers and pesticides used on home lawns and at the golf course, reduce water velocity, protect ground water, creeks and other watersheds, preserve wildlife corridors, disturb as little of the land as possible during the development process, and protect historic trees and large tree stands.
