What is Woodsong?

Overview - Woodsong is a Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) designed for tending the basic rites of life. It has a range of civic space and natural areas and contains a variety of living choices. Socializing, working, shopping and recreation are within walking/biking distance or a short car trip and therefore close enough for routine, spur of the moment activity. Responding to the unspoken need for casual interaction with people and nature and providing privacy without isolation is what really distinguishes us.

Size and Scale - Approximately 38 acres with potential adjacent expansion. 22 acres has been master planned to date. Woodsong is designed to be human-scaled, to feel comfortable in as a pedestrian. This not only applies to rocking on your porch, strolling down the street,  sitting in a park or by the pool, but also to the overall size of the neighborhood at completion. An antidote to the vastness and sterility of huge “projects”, Woodsong’s size means you will always feel cozy and connected.

Respect for our Culture - The variety of housing/workplace choices honors our coastal architectural tradition. Front porches line our neighborly streets and rear service lanes encourage accessory buildings for studio apartments, home workspaces, and additional resident/guest quarters behind the primary dwelling. Design standards guide all construction and are intended to produce an agreeable ensemble of homes that form the structure of a community instead of just a collection of discrete, unrelated buildings.

Respect for the Land - Natural areas and open space contain a planned neighborhood green, intimate “pocket  parks”, a constructed wetland water-garden, nature trails, the sanctuary of the preserved wetland forest and a pervious concrete street for stormwater infiltration. The innovative environmental design has gained widespread recognition as evidenced by winning the Lower Cape Fear Stewardship Development award and was envisioned to keep natural systems functioning within a healthy range and to conserve site features to the greatest extent possible. Woodsong also participates in the Gift of the Coast program by provding a 1-year membership in the Coastal Land Trust to new homesite purchasers. Moreover, we want our residents to be reconnected to the natural world that sustains all of life.

Origin - Woodsong formally began as a topic for a design studio taught by N.C. State University Professor Robin Moore's graduate student landscape architecture class. Private practice designers then collaborated to create the neighborhood design. Woodsong was envisioned and has been designed and built based on the principles of New Urbanism , Sustainability, Green Building, Smart Growth and Low Impact Development, which collectively promote green, walkable neighborhoods.