Like many others in the real estate industry, I have been following the progress and evolution of Metolian with great professional and personal interest.
For the past 10 years, I have been an active proponent and visible leader in the discussion surrounding sustainability. My focus has always been on the significant potential of the real estate industry to take a higher level of responsibility toward the goals, and now the imperatives, for more sustainable forms of development.
As a recognized expert on sustainable land development, I am often called upon by the Urban Land Institute, The Conservation Fund, universities and local officials to discuss, present or evaluate projects and trends. The challenges and opportunities surrounding more sustainable land development are captured in a recent book I co-authored titled "Developing Sustainable Communities." It is for these same reasons that the management team of Metolian retained me to assist in its development strategy and sustainable development plans.
While the concept of green building and sustainable land development has progressed significantly in the 15 years that I have been focused on the subject, one area of the real estate industry lags the gains made in other sectors. Ironically, this is the destination resort segment.
Oregon, which is seen nationally as a leader in the environmental movement — first with progressive and robust land use laws, and recently with some of the most advanced examples of green building — now has an opportunity to continue its leadership position by being home to a leading-edge resort and second-home community: Metolian.
Metolian represents a true advancement in the state of sustainability in many areas. As the capital markets reel from their destruction of the past six months, and people reconsider their values, their lifestyles and their roles in society at large, Metolian is uniquely positioned to come out of this current downturn as a demonstrable example of what our future could be.
This is manifested by low-impact development that doesnŐt just mitigate, but proactively is seeking to create a better model. By committing to low footprint strategies on energy and water, and advancing concepts for carbon sequestration through soil health and nutrient cycle management, Metolian is capturing the best thinking available in todayŐs sustainable development forums. Metolian has conceived a strategy to uplift local economics, provide quality housing for its employees and provide continuing outreach, education and awareness that will provide benefits far beyond its immediate context.
But more than anything else, Metolian has turned the conventional wisdom of the destination resort on its head and offers Oregon, and the world, a better model. A site plan designed to foster community interaction, not isolated elitism. Homes, cabins and a lodge that embrace the idea that small is beautiful — requiring less resources, creating more community and allowing people to think differently about how they live. Providing affordable access to nature for young families, so their children can grow up healthier and more connected to the living systems that support life.
For the industry, Metolian recognizes that as real estate obtains value from proximity and access to natural resources, there is an obligation to support that resource base — financially and intellectually. By supporting programs, research and education, and sharing economic gains from the development, Metolian will be one of the first to visibly pay for the ecological services value of the forest. This symbiotic relationship will ultimately allow the nurturing of the larger ecosystem to bring it back to and maintain a higher level of vitality.
The proposed legislation that would effectively kill Metolian is shortsighted. It will deny Oregon an opportunity to maintain its position as a leader in sustainability. It will forbid a rural county the economic development benefits that it deserves, and a chance to be on an equal footing with other local counties. And it will deny the industry an exemplar project that it so desperately needs, as a way to a better future, emerging from this current cycle of confusion and concern.
I strongly encourage you to find a way to help make Metolian a reality. It is an idea whose time has come, and that the country and industry need. It would be a shame if Oregon, a leader in the environmental movement for so many years, could not call it home.
Jim Heid lives in San Francisco.