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The New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA) named Tuscan Village, a sustainable mixed-use development in Salem, New Hampshire, the recipient of the Green Steps Award. The award celebrates innovation and sustainability within the wastewater and stormwater industry.

Tuscan Village is being developed on the site of the former Rockingham Park racetrack. The 170-acre property is a thoughtful community that balances the three responsibilities of sustainability (social, environmental, and economic benefits). Tighe & Bond led the Floodplain Improvement Phase of the project, addressing environmental, stormwater, and floodplain accommodation needs across the entire property.

An existing irrigation pond was reimagined into the 2.5-acre Tuscan Lake with the attached programmable greenspace of Lake Park allowing for public access to greenspaces for the first time. A series of underperforming culverts were daylighted to restore 3,000 linear feet of a Policy Brook on the property (formerly culverted for the development of the racetrack) which reshaped the floodplain to help alleviate flooding concerns during large storm events and at the same time created a robust habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species. Rain gardens were strategically placed throughout the property to continue with the aid of controlled stormwater runoff.

The Town of Salem will see economic benefits, such as a re-established tax base and an increase in permanent jobs, as project phases are implemented. Tuscan Village has struck a successful balance between retail, office, and residential uses while keeping the site’s environment and water ecosystems flourishing.

Max Faro, Project Manager at Tuscan Village Master Development, LLC, accepted the award at NEWEA’s annual conference this month.