Uniquely planned community recognized for Suburban Smart Growth and as Community of the Year
January 14, 2011
South Jordan, UT — The Daybreak Community received coveted industry honors today as the National Association of Home Builders awarded them with the 2010 Best in American Living Platinum Award for a Suburban Smart Growth Community and Community of the Year. The awards recognize developers, builders and architects from around the country who create enduring communities that reduce environmental impacts.
Daybreak’s Smart Growth planning adopts many of the early twentieth century building principals by creating developments that are self-sustaining with jobs, retail spaces, recreation and other life essentials within its space. This approach to community development has proven to withstand the test of time in Utah and around the country as many of these types of neighborhoods such as Sugar House, Harvard/Yale, and the Avenues district in Salt Lake City continue to be popular with homebuyers and consistently retain their value over time. Placing schools, shops, restaurants, parks, and transit options closer to home reduces dependence on cars and is part of Daybreak’s smart growth plan. Additional components of this plan include bringing the Mid-Jordan TRAX light rail line to Daybreak in August 2011 and the 2009 opening of the SoDa Row retail district featuring 10 locally owned and operated merchants. Additionally, University of Utah Healthcare will open the South Jordan Health Care Center this fall – a 208,000-square-foot multi-specialty clinic adjacent to the south TRAX station.
The Daybreak community was established by Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Utah Copper in 2004 with a vision for how sustainable development could be carried out on a large scale. Daybreak balances the social, environmental, and economic needs of residents and local businesses into one vibrant community that provides walkability, lifelong learning, transportation options and a commitment to energy efficiency. Several of the commercial buildings within the community, like the Rio Tinto Regional Center, are LEED® Certified green buildings, and every Daybreak home is Energy Star® Certified. Kennecott has also worked with home builders to push the boundaries of innovation and sustainable building practices by integrating solar and water-efficient technologies that reduce energy usage and water consumption.
“It’s gratifying to be acknowledged as being in a position to deliver on our vision,” said Ty McCutcheon, Vice President of Community Development, Kennecott. “We have found that the decisions we made early to construct homes that save energy and water, offer transportation choices, and provide homes and yards that free up time to enjoy nearby parks, are all things that resonate with home buyers in the current economic environment where we are defining a fullness to life while living within our means.”
These awards come on the heels of other milestones for the mixed-use planned community in South Jordan. The community has seen strong growth during the past few years in retail, commercial, and residential sectors amidst a challenging economy. Since opening six years ago, Daybreak has grown to more than 2,500 households and nearly 9,000 residents. In 2009, Daybreak was ranked as the sixth best selling master planned community (volume) in the U.S. by RCLCO (Robert Charles Lesser & Co., LLC) a leading independent real estate advisory firm. During the past four years, Daybreak has been the top selling new home community in Utah with one in five new homes sold in Salt Lake County located in Daybreak.
About Daybreak
Daybreak is a fresh way of thinking about community. Made up of a wide variety of energy efficient new homes as well as shops, restaurants, offices, schools, trails and parks, Daybreak brings all the elements of life within easy walking or biking distance. TRAX light rail service will soon make life in Daybreak even more convenient and environmentally friendly. The community is situated on 4,126 acres in South Jordan City, Utah, and will eventually include as many as 20,000 homes and up to 14 million square feet of commercial space. To learn more about Daybreak, please visit www.daybreakutah.com
About Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the United Kingdom, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Rio Tinto’s business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminum, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa. Rio Tinto has owned Kennecott Utah Copper since 1989. www.riotinto.com
About BALA
The Best in American Living Awards, BALA, highlight the most creative and innovative builders, designers, developers, land planners and interior designers in the nation. BALA is judged on market success as well as design excellence, and therefore serves as the ultimate barometer for what Americans are looking for in homes of all sizes, types and price ranges.
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