DEVELOPMENT

History

When Southern Living referred to Amelia Island Plantation in its March 1973 issue, it said the development plan shows "environmental balancing honed to a fine art". It also recognized that "a sounder approach to planning a coastal development than that used for Amelia Island Plantation would be hard to imagine". These laudatory statements, and others of similar ilk, made it clear that the resort founders were environmentalists ahead of their time.

These same environmentalists, in 1971, hired Wallace, McHarg, Roberts and Todd for an ecological land use study on Amelia Island, Florida. Hilton Head Island’s Sea Pine Co.’s objective was ambitious: an optimum fit between the topography, animal life and plant ecology on this fragile barrier island with a new resort community.

To identify opportunities and constraints for responsible utilization of the site, top scientists in nine fields, from climatology to ornithology, were consulted. This collaboration produced a plan to protect tidal marshes, conserve oceanfront dunes, and leave sea oats, grasslands and savannahs undisturbed. It also restricted foot traffic to boardwalks to preserve vegetation, which remained to buffer waterways and provide travel corridors and food sources for wildlife. The wind-pruned scrub behind the dunes was conserved to protect inland woods from wind and salt spray destruction. Water would be treated and recycled for the resort’s irrigation system.

Two years later, the Amelia Island Plantation master plan was implemented. This master plan defined covenants for Plantation property owners. It defined guidelines for the creation of a residential and resort community that is "aesthetically pleasing, functionally convenient, and part of the landscape design." Courtyards, patios and other outdoor additions must contribute to the effective marriage of building to land.

Today

Even now, property owners adhere to strict building and maintenance guidelines that protect the environmental harmony. Written approval is required for both new construction and current residents to remove or alter dunes, change hills and ridges, or to remove trees measuring six inches or more in diameter.

Amelia Links Lodge, an important addition to the resort, is in the design and planning stage. This building will contain some of the latest green building technologies.

Even in today’s development climate, Amelia Island Plantation remains true to its commitment to nature and to the environment. Today, it is a flourishing resort and residential community with abundant and lush vegetation, high protective sand dunes and active wildlife. Amelia is proof positive that humankind and nature can coexist beautifully!

• HOME • INTRODUCTION • DEVELOPMENT • FLORIDA GREEN LODGING CERTIFICATION
• LODGING • GOLF • CONFERENCES & SPECIAL EVENTS • NATURE CENTER
• SPA & SHOPS • REUSE, REDUCE, RECYCLE & REINVENT
• AUDUBON COOPERATIVE SANCTUARY PROGRAM • PROJECT PLANET