I have long known that you can find David Salmela designed homes in Marine on Saint Croix, but didn’t realize they were located in the unique development of Jackson Meadow. It feels like a utopian, picture-perfect environment.
A traditional suburban housing development was initially planned until it was stopped by the residents of Marine on St. Croix, who established a housing code that required new developments to preserve at least 50% of the land as open space and approach design as a whole, rather than individual lots.
The result was a development designed by landscape architects Shane Coen and Jon Stumpf, with houses designed by David Salmela. Jackson Meadow uses a cluster-housing model, which allows for the preservation of over 70% of the site as open space and a community design that expresses simplicity in both architecture and landscape design.
David Salmela challenged the superficial variety of most developments that have different facades but have very similar interiors. Instead, the houses all have a similar architectural vocabulary of white-painted wood with metal roofs with the same 12-over-12 pitch… all with different interior plans suited to the individual site and owners but with the same types of windows, hardwood floors and open floor plans.
In the words of David Peterson in the StarTribune…
Jackson Meadow is a coolly Scandinavian collection of seemingly identical stark white-on-white architectural creations spread across a plain above Marine’s village center, near miles of public trails.
Its homes are clustered on just 40 of 300 acres, leaving wide vistas to enjoy; for those with massive windows, the meadow and woods supplant interior decor.Â
The architectural design of all new homes must be approved by the Design and Development Team, with designs that adhere to strict design mandates meant to preserve the area’s heritage that was shaped by Scandinavian immigrants.
Available lots in Jackson Meadows also gives you the layout of the development.
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results – shensrud@homesmsp.com
