Behind The Scenes At Jackson Meadow

Conservation: The planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction or neglect.


Responsible Land Development

Harold Teasdale and Bob Durfey are the progressive developers responsible for the remarkable place that is Jackson Meadow.
Their guiding principles are simple and powerful:
- Preserve and conserve the land
- Create a sense of neighborhood and community

The result is 250 acres of open space placed in conservation easements to be forever protected from development, a six-mile trail system which surrounds Jackson Meadow and is in close proximity to William O’Brien State Park, and cluster housing that uses only 30 percent of the land.

Jackson Meadow has evolved to become a highly-emulated conservation community for other sensible housing developments across the country. It has raised the bar for conservation and architecture blending into an existing community.

”Our vision was to build a neighborhood that you could visit in twenty or fifty years and have it be every bit as inviting and vital as it is today.” --Harold Teasdale, Developer

Distinctive Architecture

“Modern buildings need to have a familiar quality to lure people in”
--David Salmela, Salmela Architect

Salmela’s distinct architectural vision for homes at Jackson Meadow is every bit as forward-thinking as the team of developers. In 2005, he received the AIA Award for Urban Design and Planning for his work on the project. ‘Salmela’s strong belief that architecture must grow out of a region or tradition is certainly made real in his stunning architecture for the homes at Jackson Meadow”, states Thomas Fisher in his book, Salmela Architect.

All homes in the community reflect the remarkable blending of modern and traditional design elements. Salmela custom designs homes in synergy with the homeowner’s lifestyle and specific needs. When Salmela says, “Jackson Meadow is full of simple, beautiful structures, virtually the same, yet all different,” he means that although each home uses the common materials of aluminum roof and white washed cedar siding, each one is thoughtfully designed for its owners.

Distinctive Landscape Architecture

“The true magic of Jackson Meadow will not be realized
until we have built all 64 homes.” -- Shane Coen, Coen+Partners
Landscape Architecture+Urban Design Planning

As the landscape architect on the visionary Jackson Meadow team, Shane Coen says,“what is so rare about Jackson Meadow is that the placement of each house is closely analyzed. Because each new house is responding to the land, to its neighbor’s house, and the client’s vision, ideal placement of a home is really an evolving and wonderfully complex puzzle to be solved.”

For Coen, the entire design of Jackson Meadow was a truly collaborative effort between Harold, David, Jon Stumpf, himself and the Planning Commission of Marine. In Coen’s opinion, each person brought valuable ideas to the project. Throughout the entire process, the values that shape what Jackson Meadow is today
were never compromised.

With thoughtful attention given to the original Jackson family farmstead, Coen created a cluster of homes along the section lines. This gave a central organization to the overall site plan. Then, meadow lots were organized around the topographical features of the surrounding land. By doing this Coen preserved the central open space as a beautiful form to be shared by all residents.

Also, since Coen makes his home at Jackson Meadow, years later he still feels like he is on vacation each and every weekend he spends at home with his family.