Consisting of 105 beachfront acres, Rosemary Beach is a laid back community of 406 homes and supporting retail located in now-hot Walton County. The community was designed by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ) over a four year period starting in 1995. During that time, two separate 52-acre and 53-acre parcels were combined to create the current site.

The designers took full advantage of the site's seaside location, creating numerous boardwalks and lanes that run perpendicular to the shoreline. The prevailing architecture is Anglo-Caribbean, which is a hybrid of Old South architecture and the Colonial British West Indies—itself a hybrid. Alluding to the town's Traditional Neighborhood DNA, a rear alley system further softens the automotive aspect of the neighborhood.

Living Amid the Dunes
The area around Rosemary Beach is characterized by large sand dunes, and DPZ went to great lengths to preserve these and other unique attributes. Nine "dune walkovers" (two with wheelchair access) are designed to be unobtrusive and functional. They protect the fragile dune system from foot traffic and its amplifying effect on erosion during storms. Additionally, this buffer allows people to walk along the beach without any sense that an entire village lies just beyond those 30-foot dunes.

Roads, too, were laid to conform to the natural contours of the land, rather than being bladed and leveled. In addition, the roadway surface consists of permeable concrete, allowing water to filter through to the sand below and eliminating the need for storm water drains and holding ponds.

To keep the community rooted in its past and protect native vegetation, Rosemary Beach adopted a strict Landscape Code. Any native species ruined during construction had to be replanted, and only native plants may be used in landscaping.

A native species of another sort also thrives around Rosemary Beach: sea turtles. The creatures lay their eggs in the sand during a nesting season, which runs from May 1 through October 31 each year. To avoid confusing young hatchlings who follow the moonlight from their nest down to the Gulf of Mexico, DPZ dimmed exterior lighting on homes that are nearest to these sensitive areas.

Part of the Plan
The Rosemary Beach Town Plan outlines twelve basic building types. Rather than models or plans, they are simply guidelines that establish the character of the neighborhood and ensure the integrity of the Town Plan. The code dictates vertical window proportions, building position on the lot, the number of porches on the street frontage, and stain finishing for the wood siding. The stain ages gracefully and naturally, so that if one does not choose to regularly re-stain one's house, it doesn't look neglected.

"Each home in Rosemary Beach is not only architecturally unique, but also custom designed to subtly reflect an owner's tastes, needs, and lifestyle. Consequently, every house becomes an inextricable part of the fabric of the town, reinforcing its character" says Town Architect Richard Gibbs. The expectation is that this community will be a family investment that will last for generations. "I fully expect this community to look better as time goes on and not worse," he says.

In 2002, Rosemary Beach earned the "Blue Wave Beach" award by the Clean Beach Council. During that same year, it also took home the "Met Home of the Year" by Metropolitan Home magazine.

For more information, visit: http://www.rosemarybeach.com/

Images courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company.