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real estate
new wave neighborhood New urbanism thrives at south main, a community on the banks of colorado’s arkansas river, where small-town charm and whitewater adventure are next-door neighbors
Photos courtesy South Main
pro kayaker Jed Selby plunged into uncharted waters when he and his sister Katie purchased 41.5 undeveloped acres on the Arkansas River in Buena Vista, Colorado, back in 2003. At the time, Selby didn’t fancy himself a land developer. “I just wanted to be able to walk from a bar to a wave—and maybe build a few houses,” he says. The site was perfect for that. Just a short walk from Buena Vista’s historic main street, it offered excellent river frontage on a “sweet spot” of the Arkansas that’s one of the better kayaking spots in the country, according to Selby. His simple plan quickly evolved. “Katie and I started thinking about places we’ve lived that we really liked, and
it was all the older places with tree-lined streets and sidewalks, where we could walk to everything,” he says. “We wondered, ‘Why don’t they build this stuff anymore?’” For the past nine years, the siblings have been building it at South Main, a pedestrian-friendly community with a commitment to conscientious land use and green building practices—all adjacent to a new, world-class whitewater park. Nearly 50 buildings have gone up since 2007, ranging from single-family homes, row houses and live/work spaces to a restaurant, clothing boutique, art gallery and even a private school—most owned and operated by residents. >>
Story by Christine Deorio ML | www.mountainliving.com 43