What is a planned community?

Attachment to Cynthia Sewell's artical in the Idaho Stateman

A planned community, also called master-planned community (MPC), is a large-scale development featuring a wide range of housing prices and styles, a mix of commercial uses and an array of amenities including trails, parks, open space and recreational facilities. They characteristically emphasize social and local community services such as schools, community centers, libraries, worship sites and other public land uses.
Southern California's Irvine Ranch is one of the oldest and largest planned communities in the U.S. Started in the 1960s, the 93,000-acre community is home to about 230,000 people. More than half of its acreage is permanently preserved as open space and parks.
The philosophy behind planned communities is sometimes called "cradle to grave" or "stroller to walker" because the communities are designed to accommodate young single people, families and retirees. As people's housing needs change, they can remain in the same neighborhood. Also, several generations can live near each other.
"Master-planned communities have always been popular; most well-executed MPCs are able to offer a lifestyle and sense of community that you can't get from a conventional subdivision," said Neal Tsay, a vice president of Robert Charles Lesser, a national company that tracks the industry for developers.
Planned communities also offer residents certainty, according to Jim Heid, a national planned community expert. Residents can look at the master plan and know where schools, parks and retail centers will be.
If someone moves into a subdivision adjacent to empty land, the homeowner has no guarantees as to what could be built next their subdivision, Heid said. Residents have no guarantees whether the city will provide parks nearby or whether trails that cross private land will remain open.
The primary focus of the development's planning effort is to create a particular environment, a sense of place. Some planned communities are themed — golf, tennis, equestrian, nature conservation or active seniors — providing residents a common bond with their neighbors.
The planned community lifestyle is not for everyone. The carefully planned developments often have detailed guidelines for architecture and landscaping and strict CCR's (covenants, codes and restrictions).
Laurie Barrera, a relocation specialist for SelEquity Real Estate, said she receives requests from both people who want the consistency of a regulated development and people who want less restrictions on their property, maybe to build a shop or other outbuilding or install a certain type of landscaping, like xeriscaping, which may not be allowed in some subdivisions or planned communities.
"Some people don't mind strict CCR's because they know what to expect, other people want more flexibility," Barrera said. What is important for her clients is that they have a choice and planned communities are simply another choice.