The Homestead

H o mTehes t e a d

A PROPOSAL FOR A MASTER PLANNED COMMUNITY

Principles and Purpose

Aristotle proposed that the happiness of man is characterized by his practice
of perfect virtue and possession of external goods for the duration of his life.
Is it possible to create a community which may cultivate this happiness?
Consider the following:
 The cultivation of virtue is an educative process.
 It belongs principally to the family to provide this education.
 The provision of external goods is the stability necessary for this

education.
Therefore, we propose the establishment of a community whose
environment is family and home oriented, and conducive to a virtuous
education of a family within stable and secure surroundings.
Having stated the essence of this community and the homeowners to whom
it will seek to attract, what is the development concept, planning concept,
and programming concept that will form and support this type of
community?

Art of Living Well

Development Concept

The Development Concept will establish  The Bioclimatic Analysis demonstrates
the overall setting and we maintain that that comfort may be achieved 80% of
a natural setting is most conducive to the the year in Houston through the use of
educative end of the community. Its passive heating and cooling techniques
essence will be integration with nature
and it will be applied in two principal
methods: according to the principles of
Low Impact Development (LID) and
according to passive heating and cooling
strategies as demonstrated in the
Bioclimatic analysis of the regional
climate. Consider the following:
 Studies indicate the positive impact

on a child’s development within a
natural surrounding 1
 LID increases property value—
selling for $3000 more than
conventionally developed lots 2
 LID can be less expensive—costing
less than $3,500 to $4,500 per 1/4-
1/2 acre lot 3

Integration with Nature

Planning Concept

The Planning Concept will establish a social
setting conducive to the educative nature of
the community by forming it into small
“pockets” thereby promoting familiarity and
protection. The pockets and amenities of
the site will be connected through a network
of pedestrian pathways. Vehicular
circulation shall be convenient, but shall be
unobtrusive to the pedestrian network.

Consider the following quotation from an
architect building neighborhoods using a
similar concept:

“The fabric of social health in our society
has been fraying, in part, because many

people lack networks of personal and social
support….Pocket neighborhoods can help...
strengthen webs of support and friendship,
which are the basis for healthy, livable
communities.” 4
(Chapin, 2011)
This schematic site plan
demonstrates the application
of this concept on a mixed
use tract of land in League
City, Texas.

Pedestrian Community

Programming Concept

The programming considers the values,
existing conditions, social and economic
context, and goals for a community on a
given site. It is principally defined by the
purpose, or, you might say, the market for
the development. The stated purpose in
general terms is a pursuit of happiness, and,
in concrete terms, the creation of a home
and family oriented environment. The
programming concept will be further
animated by those development and
planning methods used to achieve this
environment. The following program is a
summary of some of the amenities offered.
 Community Gardens
 Open—Air Theatre
 Multi-use Plaza (shown here as a

produce market)
 Physical Recreation
 Private Gardens
 Common Buildings (which shall include

educational facilities)

Pursuit of Happiness

Site Selection

The site indicated is located in
Friendswood, Texas. It is 32 acres and
satisfies the inquiries below in a
satisfactory manner. We will consider
other sites in other regions as well.
The following questions may be asked concerning a suitable site:
 What are the values of the surrounding neighborhoods and the town?
 Does the site have a mature vegetation?
 What is the natural hydrology of the site? In the case of Houston, is it adjacent to
the bayou system?
 How secure is the surrounding communities given the pedestrian nature of the
community?
 Is there adequate acreage to accommodate the development concept?
 Given the sustaining amenities of the program and the desired tranquility of the
development, is the site removed from urban development?

Friendswood, Texas

Credits

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
Paul Benavente, Architect, NCARB

Bachelor of Architecture, Cum Laude, 2002 • Bachelor of Aristotelian-Thomistic Philosophy, 2008

HARDEY GROUP, INC. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
29955 IH-45 North
CIVIL ENGINEERING Shenondoah, Texas 77381
79 E. Evangeline Oaks Circle Jonathan McMillian, Landscape Architect, ASLA
The Woodlands, Texas 77384
John Hardey, PE, PLS LAND ACQUISITION
Bachelor of Civil Engineering, 1973 1150 Clear Lake City Blvd. • Suite 100
41 years combined experience, Houston, Texas 77062
10 years using LID methods 713.806.4758
Richard Wade, Licensed Realtor
RDP ENGINEERS, INC. 15 years experience in the Greater Houston Area
League City Chamber of Commerce—
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING Former Chairman
104 Industrial Boulevard • Suite 111
Sugarland, Texas 77478
Raj Patel, PE
30 years experience

1 Kellert, S.R. 2005. Building for Life: Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature Development. Washington,
DC: Island Press.

2 MacMullan, Ed; Sarah Reich. November 2007. The Economics of Low-Impact Development: A Literature Review.
ECONorthwest. www.econw.com

3 Kloss, Christopher; Crystal Calarusse. June 2006. Rooftops to Rivers—Green Strategies for Controlling Stormwater
and Combined Sewer Overflows. Natural Resourse Defense Council. www.nrdc.org

4 Chapin, Ross. March 2011. Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small Scale Community in a Large Scale World.
Taunton Press. www.pocketneighborhoods.net

H o mTehes t e a d

The word homestead describes the securing possession of and settling
of a piece of land. It evokes notions of permanence and love invested
in this labor of establishing this land and raising of a family. It is our

hope that the values represented here may build a homestead for
future families. It is also our hope that the quality of the community
we are proposing here may be deemed a service to the community in
which it is established, for ultimately, our task is of a public nature

and is at the service of the public.
Would you be interested in becoming a part of this venture? We are
seeking developers and investors who may contribute their expertise

and financial support to the realization of this vision. You may
contact Stella Maris Architecture or Richard Wade of Remax. See the

credits page for contact information. We would be
delighted to hear from you!

© 2018 STELLA MARIS ARCHITECTURE
All Rights Reserved. “The Homestead” is the intellectual property of Stella Maris Architecture
and it, as well as this document, remain the property of Stella Maris Architecture and may not
be reproduced or used in any form without prior authorization from Stella Maris Architecture.