The Quarry Village Vision

Quarry Village is designed for good health, safety, and social interaction; it's a comprehensive, holistic alternative to the dominant suburban system of sprawl and auto dependency. Walking and cycling are encouraged by the car-free environment and the aesthetically designed, well lit walkways. Children can use the walkways to play, visit friends' homes, and board the school bus in the Village Square without fear of traffic. Public swimming pools and tennis courts are within easy walking distance. The hub of the development is the Village Square, where a small park and ample space is conducive to a Farmers' Market and special events, and the fitness center provides an opportunity to interact with neighbors in a low-key, comfortable way. It's a central, convenient place to hold Homeowner Association meetings. Whether sipping a latte at the café, reading the paper in the park, or sketching the native California plants along the walkways, people meet face to face, not bumper to bumper.

Security cameras and a 24-hour security team insure safety throughout the development. Recycled wastewater for irrigation allows not only for the development of lush, mini-parks in the development, but also for the creation of a defensible perimeter, reducing the threat of urban-wildland fires. The ongoing collection and storage of rainwater provides drought protection and easy access for firefighters should it be needed. Homes are built using the latest, proven fire resistant methods and are fitted with interior sprinklers. Landscaping is designed around native California, fire-resistant plants. And, programs developed by the Home Owners' Association focus on Health, Safety and Sustainability, so that there is continual reinforcement for the ideal of respect for the earth and those who inhabit it.

Quarry Village saves you money. First of all, taking the car out of the neighborhood saves money usually spent on streets, curbs and garages - and, car-free neighborhoods are safer for pedestrians and children at play. The Village Bus links residents to the University, BART and downtown Hayward, providing a viable transit alternative to the almighty automobile. The Village office staff provides concierge services for transit alternatives. Using high tech, on-time building methods reduces building costs and enables more affordable housing. Quarry Village incorporates LEED standards and is designed for ongoing sustainability; solar panels, recycled waste water, rainwater storage, native planting, energy star appliances all contribute to ongoing, operational savings at Quarry Village. And, according to an 2003 California Climate Action Plan report on Transportation and Climate Change, "smart growth projects can reduce VMT (vehicle miles traveled) and GHGs (greenhouse gas emissions) from 15 to 52 percent compared to traditional development projects." So, the world around us benefits from Quarry Village as well.

Quarry Village is proposed to meet five major goals: affordability, green building, energy sustainability, mobility, and community.

Achieving these goals requires enough people close enough to each other to create economies of scale—having enough people and short walking distances to support a community center, a store, a restaurant, and a shuttle bus, all owned by the development itself. QV will have about 950 units and about 2,100 people, with the longest walk time, front door to the center, under 6 minutes and an average walk time of about 3 minutes.

Affordability is achieved several ways:

• The modular houses are to be built in a factory while the land is improved and the foundation is poured. This process allows a faster turn-round on loans and less interest paid.
• The modular process itself is more efficient, better planned, and less wasteful than stick-built construction on-site.
• Additional savings accrue from using the land more efficiently, with much less land in pavement by excluding car traffic and parking in most of the area.
• More savings come from less paving and not having to build garages.
• The savings are about 20% below traditional car-dependent housing, but some expenses occur to support the shuttle bus and HOA (Home Owner Association) management, for a net savings of about 15 percent. Owners also save with dramatically lower utility bills and by not having to own and operate a car.

Green building and landscaping, energy sustainability, and mobility are achieved as discussed on their respective pages.

QV is also designed for community, which includes a number of different ideas.

• QV will be secure and healthy for several reasons: The 24 hour HOA management will keep an eye on things at all times, assisted by walkway cameras, lighting, defensible space, and knowing who belongs.
• Residents will reinforce security in the process of creating community, as people meet face to face, not bumper to bumper.
• Restrictions on cars reduces a major safety threat and also some pollution. QV will appeal to families because children can play without fear of traffic.
• Walking lends itself to health, now threatened by sedentary, car-based lifestyles.
• Community is also enhanced by physical design: buildings are on average set back from each other about thirty feet, and are about thirty feet high, creating a spacious, low-rise feeling. Otherwise simple modular boxes will gain visual appeal from off-sets, facade treatments, color, mini-parks, and landscaping.
• The Village Square supports community with a small park, community center, store, restaurant, and bus way. The center will have mailboxes, an ATM, HOA offices, a fitness center and other spaces for meeting in a low-key, comfortable way.