The city of Memphis, Tennessee shares a long and colorful history with the mighty Mississippi River. Sitting literally in the middle of this river life tradition is Harbor Town, a 130-acre New Urbanism development on a peninsula known as Mud Island, adjacent to downtown.

Completed in 2004 after a 15-year development period, Harbor Town is now one of the city's crown jewels, consisting of 500 houses, 400 apartments, condos, and town homes, 43,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, a small private school and several green spaces. A 50-slip marina is also part of the action. Harbor Town boasts a priceless view across the Mississippi River to a floodplain greenbelt that remains unchanged since the days of steamboats.

Ironically, Harbor Town endured many struggles early in its development, as builders, bankers and buyers tried to grasp the untested Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) concept during a recession. Among the more memorable missteps: builders, accustomed to suburban lots, had problems "hitting the lot" on the smaller parcels while digging foundations, causing the foundation to encroach on the neighboring lot. Real estate signs, scaled for larger lots and faster traffic flow, stuck out like sore thumbs. Concrete curbs were poured incorrectly. Even standard mailboxes were too large, again because they were scaled for suburbia.

Developer Henry Turley realized the project required a more hands-on approach. He sought out builders, brought them together with architects, and incorporated a design review process to work through problems as they surfaced. Aiming for a blend of architectural styles, the group applied fundamental basics of traditional architecture to both classic and contemporary homes. They also helped to determine how the home should be sited to create a courtyard or other private space, capture views, and enhance other opportunities for the site. Harbor Town soon became the belle of the ball.

FaxonGillis Homes came into Harbor Town to build about 150 homes during its later phases. Chuck LaBarreare, now the company's Vice President of Operations, recalls that with build-out approaching, "there was a sense of urgency" with the public to buy remaining homes. "I wish we had several more Harbor Towns to build in," he jokes.

LaBarreare believes that the street layout, and what he describes as South Carolina beach house architecture, truly set Harbor Town apart. He says the majority of FaxonGillis Homes have HardiePlank® siding, as do many other homes in the neighborhood. He reports that friends who live there are ecstatic with their new surroundings, and are "real pleased with the Hardie siding." LaBarreare says that FaxonGillis now uses HardieSoffit® panels exclusively on its new homes elsewhere and continues to use HardiePlank® siding.

Architect J. Carson Looney attributes the success of Harbor Town to Turley's vision to blend diverse architectural styles together rather than attempting to mimic history.

Harbor Town is credited with igniting a resurgence of Memphis' downtown, where many historical buildings are now undergoing renovation to serve as residential and retail space.

Surveys and interviews indicate that Harbor Town residents have extensive social networks within the community that are larger than the networks in conventional suburbs.

In 2005, Harbor Town won an Award for Excellence from the Urban Land Institute.

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