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MIAMI (November 20, 2007), Architectural and town planning firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ) has been awarded the “2008 Best in American Living Award” (BALA) from the National Association of Home Builders and Professional Builder magazine.
The Amelia Park project won in the “Best Suburban Smart Growth Neighborhood/Community” category and was entered by Amelia Park Development. For 24 years, BALA has been recognized as the pinnacle of achievement in residential design. The award will be presented during the International Builders Show in February 2008.
Amelia Park is a new neighborhood of 106 acres is located in the City of Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, 35 minutes from Jacksonville off the northeast coast of Florida. Developers Joel Embry and Michael Antonopoulos wanted to revive the tradition of livable, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods that foster a sense of true community and that are able to grow and mature over time. Following examples from the most established and best-loved old towns of the region—particularly the historic downtown district of Fernandina Beach—the DPZ team designed a master plan for a traditional neighborhood development with a town center.
The town center is the heart of the plan and features a square and a main street that are lined with a mix of housing, shops, and offices. Carefully designed, tree-lined streets, squares, and boulevards foster a pedestrian-friendly environment while also forming an efficient thoroughfare network that integrates Amelia Park with the surrounding urban fabric. Interconnected parks and pedestrian paths make up an extensive greenway network that highlights the natural beauty of the site, which includes an 8-acre lake surrounded by jogging trails, playing fields, and a fishing dock.
A diverse mix of housing prices and styles—single-family homes, cottages, row houses, garage apartments, and apartments over shops—allows the neighborhood to meet the needs of a wide range of lifestyles. As a result, older residents, young professionals, and families combine to create a vibrant and varied community, one that is able to evolve naturally over time. When complete, Amelia Park will include approximately 420 residential units; 70,000 square feet of commercial space; professional offices; and a variety of civic uses including a post office, a police station, a childcare center, and a worship center. In addition, the Nassau County YMCA has made its home in the town, offering amenities such as a gym, pool, meeting space, and playgrounds.
About Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company is one of the world’s leaders in the practice and direction of urban planning and has designed more than 300 new and existing communities in the United States and overseas. Founded in 1980 by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and headquartered in Miami, the firm has offices in Gaithersburg, Md., Charlotte, N.C., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Berlin, Germany. More information at www.dpz.com.
About Amelia Park You can read more about Amelia Park neighborhood at http://www.ameliapark.com/.
For press inquiries or for bios on the designers, please visit www.iwprgroup.com or contact: Irina Woelfle: irina(at)iwprgroup.com or 305-447-8848. Linda Stephen: Linda(at)iwprgroup.com or 402-483-0747.
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