Integrating Nature and Modern Living: The Approach to Baiting Brook Farm's Agrihood Development
The design of the Baiting Brook Farm community went beyond designing homes near a farm; It required careful consideration of multiple stakeholders and zoning laws to create a coexisting community between a residential neighborhood and a professional working farm.
The Urban Land Institute defines agrihoods as “single-family, multifamily, or mixed-use communities built with a working farm or community garden as a focus.” The concept of agrihoods is steadily gaining momentum in contemporary community development, and Baiting Brook Farm in Framingham, Massachusetts, stands as a shining example through its successful implementation.
Baiting Brook Farm is an over-55 active adult community nestled within 800 acres of protected land. It is the first agrihood development in Massachusetts. The community was designed to seamlessly integrate modern residential living with the surrounding active farm, offering its residents a serene and nature-oriented lifestyle. In this post, we’ll explore our team’s process and experience with designing an agrihood development.
The Vision for the Agrihood
In response to the high demand for housing in Greater Boston, numerous high-density and low-privacy housing communities have emerged. However, Baiting Brook Farm was purposefully designed to prioritize both residential privacy and the preservation of the land.
MGD+ was tasked with creating a master plan and designing sixty-three luxury homes, ranging from single to multi-unit luxury units, integrated into 46 acres of pastures, meadows, and ponds. Surrounded by extensive woodlands, walking and riding trails, and an active farm, our team worked with many stakeholders to realize Baiting Brook’s vision of prioritizing both residential privacy and the preservation of the land.
Beyond the Typical Multi-Family Community
In designing the master plan, our team recognized the importance of having a central road throughout the site that would provide connectivity while still maintaining a sense of privacy within the residential clusters. Integrated throughout each cluster are units of varying types and sizes, featuring floor plans and layouts unique to each home that would appeal to the diverse preferences of potential residents.
Offering single-family and multi-unit residences provides options that evoke a sense of individual home ownership or a more interconnected living experience. We needed to ensure that proper setback requirements were met between the houses, allowing each resident to enjoy their private plot of land and unobstructed views of the surrounding idyllic landscape. The deliberate spacing of the clusters fosters a serene, nature-oriented atmosphere, enhancing the residents' connection to the surrounding environment and creating a community that doesn't feel overwhelmingly dense.
In addition to creating a master plan that would allow for a sense of privacy between the residences while creating a community size that would be financially workable was the challenge of developing around land conservation and wetlands. The farm also needed access to surrounding pastures for animals to roam and graze; thus, we designed the Baiting Brook Farm community on either side of a wildlife corridor.
Concept site plan for Baiting Brook Farm.
Aesthetic and Functional Design
The design of Baiting Brook Farm’s units was influenced by the community’s serene pastoral setting and connection to nature and farm life. The understated and natural aesthetic creates a warm, comfortable, and upscale living environment. The living areas are spacious and located on the first floor to provide accessibility and enable the residents to experience a functional and flowing design. Having a warm and comfortable space that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing provides residents with a sense of belonging and attachment to the community.
The development of Baiting Brook Farm serves as a testament to the successful integration of a working farm with a residential community – a concept gaining momentum in today's community development landscape. Looking ahead, Baiting Brook Farm highlights the potential for agrihoods to fulfill the demand for housing and offer residents a genuinely enriching and harmonious living experience. Take a brief tour of the site in our recent Baiting Broom Farm Instagram reel.
