LOVELAND, Colo. — Sustainability is at the heart of Centerra, a 3,000-acre master-planned community in Loveland, Colorado.
The area was developed by McWhinney and McStain Neighborhoods, which began working on Centerra 30 years ago. The community is based on a plot that's been in the McWhinney family for generations.
Centerra includes more than 4,700 homes, 5.1 million square feet of commercial space, 700 acres of parks and more than 10 miles of trails. With more than 150 corporate offices, 32 restaurants and 80 retailers, Centerra provides more than 8,000 jobs.
Centerra is centered around the concept of long-term sustainability and working with Colorado’s landscape. It is certified as the state's only community wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, integrating wildlife-friendly practices into the master plan. It was also designated Colorado’s first sustainable landscape community by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado.
The two developers created the High Plains Environmental Center (HPEC), a nonprofit center and entity to steward and manage Centerra’s lakes and wetlands long into the future. The nonprofit also aims to create diverse habitats within the built environment for all kinds of wildlife and pollinator insects.
Working with the High Plains Environmental Center, Centerra established water conservation and sustainability initiatives to encourage water-saving practices throughout the region. The Centerra design guidelines mandate that regionally appropriate landscapes, including native plants adapted to Colorado’s climate and high altitude, are used.
HPEC funding is sustained by self-imposed building permit fees for both residential and commercial development in Centerra. To date, that has generated over $5 million for HPEC.
HPEC aims to protect the wetlands and uplands surrounding Houts Reservoir and Equalizer Reservoir, offer educational programs to the northern Colorado community and support local developers and planners through sustainable design. Today, HPEC manages 483 acres of open space and stormwater ponds within Centerra as a wildlife habitat.
HPEC’s educational visitor center focuses on conserving and restoring Colorado’s unique native bio-diversity alongside development. The center demonstrates, through the many gardens and exhibits, the benefits to wildlife and water conservation that come from using native plants in landscaping, open space, and urban stormwater ponds.
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