Villages of Loreto Bay
Beachfront Living That's Good for the Environment

There's a place in Baja where simplicity and beauty melt together and follow you all day long. Here, ¡Buenos Días! isn't just a friendly greeting, but a way of life. It's in the rolling ocean tide, the smoky purple of the mountains and genuine warmth of the people. Meet Loreto Bay.

Just 700 miles south of San Diego, The Villages of Loreto Bay are forming. This new community is a series of romantic, seaside neighborhoods with Spanish Colonial architecture and walkable streets, where everything you need is just steps away. The Villages are being constructed in partnership with FONATUR, Mexico's tourism development agency, which identified Loreto 25 years ago as one of five areas ripe for tourism development. In the years since, FONATUR has developed Cancun, Los Cabos, Ixtapa-Zihuatenejo and Huatulco. Development in Loreto is taking a very different approach.

The Villages of Loreto Bay, located along the Sea of Cortés, is a $3 billion beachfront project being built over 12 to 15 years to create a town of approximately 6,000 homes in pedestrian-oriented, car-free neighborhoods. The Villages are located just five miles from the town of Loreto, the first capital of all the Californias, and a favorite destination for those seeking Mexican history and culture. The project includes the development of a world-class Beach Club & Spa, golf club, tennis center, plus space for retail, entertainment, an artisans' village and recreational facilities. Of the 8,000 acres encompassed in the master plan, 5,000 acres will be maintained as a natural preserve, with trails for hiking, cycling and horseback riding, plus an organic farm and plans for an organic orchard.

The town planning and architectural authenticity are striking a chord with home buyers. To date, Loreto Bay Company has sold more than 600 homes. This year promises to be a year of tremendous growth as more homes are completed and new neighbors take up residence. There are over 100 completed homes with many of those owners already living out their Baja dreams in Loreto Bay. All completed homes have been enthusiastically received and consistently exceed our buyers' expectations. Loreto Bay Company is on schedule to have more than 300 homes completed by the end of 2006 so the new community is welcoming new happy home owners every day. And they are building a community of people who care deeply about the area and its commitment to sustainable development.

The Villages of Loreto Bay will be the largest resort community in North America developed according to the principles of sustainable development. The most commonly understood aspect of sustainable development is respecting and preserving the environment, but there are actually three major areas a project must address in order to be sustainable: where social responsibility, economic development and ecological protection and enhancement converge, true sustainable development takes place.

To protect and enhance the environment, Loreto Bay will harvest more potable water than it consumes; create, through solar or wind power, more energy than it uses; and enhance the habitat and nurture the biodiversity of the land it occupies. As a sustainable development, Loreto Bay will preserve and enhance the ecosystem locally and globally by measuring and improving its social impacts on the environment. Loreto Bay plans to improve the health and welfare of Loreto by providing opportunities for local jobs and business creation, personal growth, education, health and lifelong learning.

David Veniot, the company's Vice President of Sustainable Development, and the Loreto Bay team study the land to understand how the development can become part of the natural ecosystem and not a drastically foreign force that conflicts with nature. "By understanding the existence and daily functioning of The Villages, the development will continuously contribute to the evolving health and richness of the land," says Veniot.

Homes at The Villages of Loreto Bay are constructed primarily of adobe, compressed earth blocks that result in energy-efficient heating and cooling. The Villages will feature a mix of housing types with beautifully appealing architecture, authentic Mexican craftsmanship and native landscaping that will enhance the natural surroundings. "Our residents want a peaceful, authentic Mexican community that offers architectural beauty and allows people to experience the natural beauty of this seaside village," says David Butterfield, President of the Trust for Sustainable Development and Chairman of Loreto Bay Company,. "The Villages of Loreto Bay attract those looking to embrace the casual, outdoor lifestyle of Baja in a way that respects and enhances the environment."

Phase II of The Villages is Agua Viva, which offers a perfect example of Loreto Bay's deep commitment to sustainability. Agua Viva means "living water" and is expected to be the site of the largest created estuary in North America. Adjacent to the sea and replete with estuaries and canals which meander through the neighborhood and out to sea, Agua Viva is surrounded by life-giving water. Homes feature private and public courtyards, combined with lush native landscaping, which provide a natural and beautiful cooling effect. The town's Village Center will be situated on an island located where it all flows together. Cafés, studios and galleries will populate the edges of this vibrant village center and golfers play through the center of the village like the best of Europe's old world courses. There are planned performance spaces, gathering spaces and wide promenades along the water's edge. Posadas, or small hotel apartments, will look down into the town square and out across the estuary to the sea and the Sierra de la Giganta mountains.

In order to guarantee the regeneration of these new estuaries, Loreto Bay's consultants determined that the watersheds had to be restored as well, so that more water could be absorbed into the soil and aquifers. Over time, a series of dams will be built in strategic water channels and arroyos in watersheds. As more water soaks into the ground, nutrients are released into the soil, improving soil health, allowing more plant life to grow, thus enhancing the habitat and making biodiversity possible. Already, 20,000 mangrove seeds have been collected, and 7,500 are growing in pots at the Loreto Bay Agricultural Center. Each hectare (about 2.5 acres) of mangrove wetlands will produce one ton of commercial fish annually. The total estuary system in The Villages of Loreto Bay will boast 40 hectares of mangrove wetlands, contributing greatly to the health of the marine habitat as well as the economic development of the local community by increasing fish stocks and drawing more tourists to the Sea of Cortés, the largest national marine park in Mexico, for whale and sea turtle watching, diving and snorkeling. This pristine sea is also home to sea lions, dolphins, yellow tail, dorado, rooster fish and more.

The uniqueness of Loreto strikes you the moment the door to the plane opens and stays with you well after you take off. And with Loreto Bay's commitment to sustainability Loreto will remain exceptional for generations to come.

For more information, call the William Rose Agency at 949-498-0705.

(Travel & Real Estate 2006)