Sarver's Mill, new homes for sale in Butler County PA, just minutes from Pittsburgh

Some people think that conventional subdivisions define the American dream. Most developers today believe that homes should be enormous and that they should be set far back from the street surrounded by acres of protective space. They labor under the common misconception that the ideal setting for a family home is a secluded cul-de-sac far removed from the neighbors and that housing types and values should not be mixed. Conventional subdivisions are designed to isolate and separate people. Well, that just doesn't work for everybody.

The Village at Sarver’s Mill is different. Some may like it, others may not but all agree it is different. The Village at Sarver’s Mill is the most distinctive neighborhood in the area and a very special place to live. We’re different because we’ve based our community on a traditional neighborhood design and that design makes a big difference. We’re not simply building homes, we’re building a neighborhood.

What constitutes a traditional neighborhood? Traditional neighborhood design is an innovative alternative design concept that integrates housing and recreation into pedestrian oriented neighborhoods. Traditional neighborhoods are more compact communities designed to encourage bicycling and walking by providing destinations close to home and by providing sidewalks and a pleasant environment for walking and biking. Some of the benefits derived from living in a traditional neighborhood are:

Residents are more active and in better shape. They walk and ride bicycles with greater regularity than people living in conventional subdivisions. They spend less time in front of their televisions and more time on the public greens and in the local parks with their kids and dogs.
There is a greater sense of community and spirit of civic participation. Studies have shown that residents of a traditionally designed neighborhood know 50 per cent more neighbors than in a typical subdivision. And there is more frequent interaction with those neighbors, along with a higher level of concern for their welfare.
Traditional neighborhoods have fewer incidents of crime and malicious mischief, partly because of a greater degree of community involvement and partly because the deployment and location of homes puts more eyes on the street to discourage negative behavior.
Homes in traditional neighborhoods have a higher re-sale value than similar-sized homes in comparable neighborhoods.

Traditional neighborhood design does not focus solely on automobile access. One of the key elements of traditional design is walkability. It is pedestrian activity which leads to greater contact with neighbors, and thus a heightened sense of community. The Village at Sarver’s Mill is designed to encourage its residents to leave the family car behind and experience the short walk on our wide tree lined sidewalks to the community center, the fishing lake, or one of the several pocket parks or picnic areas.

Few things contribute more to the walkability of our neighborhood than the pleasing exterior on our homes. Traditional front porches and elaborate landscaping encourage pedestrian activity. Attractive front yards contribute to the creation of a neighborhood that is prized by walkers and neighboring residents. While some people still believe that a proper home needs a huge lawn, the fact is most Americans don’t make much use of their lawn except for mowing. The homes in the Village at Sarver’s Mill are placed close to the street in sharp contrast to conventional subdivisions where setbacks are much deeper isolating and separating the residents from their neighbors. Shallow setbacks encourage walkers to stop, smell the flowers and chat with their neighbors. And the residents who own these homes which sit close to the well traveled sidewalks tend to expend more effort in developing and maintaining a landscaped front lawn about which they can be proud.

Porches play a critical role in the social life of a neighborhood. All of the homes in the Village at Sarver’s Mill feature front porches and the age-old practice of porch-sitting seems to follow naturally. Whether it is simply shared nods or a more extended conversation, porch activity is just one of the reasons that our residents will develop relationships with a larger circle of neighbors than in a conventional subdivision.

Finally, the Village at Sarver’s Mill is different because it attracts a different type of resident. Most new home buyers are not yet able to give up the American dream of a conventional ranch style home with a large fenced in yard located in a secluded and isolated cul-de-sac. Most, but not all, people who gravitate toward a traditional neighborhood do so because they are inclined to lead simpler, more compact lives. They have discovered that there is more satisfaction to be derived from putting more effort into a small yard than being saddled with the burden of caring for a large one and that there is something satisfying about having a more compact house to clean, heat and cool. But mostly, our residents come here to join a community and to leave behind them the isolation and detachment of the conventional subdivision.