Tapestry Park is an excellent example of New Urbanism, a way of thinking that transforms individual home owners into members of a wider community of friends and neighbors. True to its name, Tapestry Park resembles its namesake. Richly and complexly designed, with varying colors and architecture, this community of 184 homes in Panama City Beach, Florida is defying existing molds and setting the standard in traditionally designed developments. Modeled after old-style American neo-traditional developments, Tapestry Park emphasizes community. With delicate streetscapes, lined with trees and rocking chair porches, neighbors become friends and friends become family. By designing the development so that homes, parks and retail spaces are all linked by a network of lively, walkable streets, and by pricing a variety of lots so that singles, couples and families can afford to buy in, the creators of Tapestry Park have given it the sense of togetherness missing from so many suburban subdivisions. "It lends itself well to people interacting with their neighbors," said developer Mark Tanney. "If you want to interact with your neighbors and have a good community feeling, then it's the right neighborhood for you." Tapestry Park is being built on 72 acres on Middle Beach Road. Once completed, there will be two components: The Neighborhood and The Town Center. The Neighborhood will consist of 184 home sites, as well as several parks and a community center, Brunswick Hall, all interconnected by narrow streets and sidewalks. The community center will house meeting areas, a basketball court, a tennis court, and a swimming pool. Three schools lie within easy walking distance, including Hutchison Beach Elementary School, which is right across the street. There also are four nearby churches, several grocery stores, a post office and countless restaurants and entertainment venues, all within two miles of the neighborhood. And, of course, the emerald green water and sugar white sands of the Gulf of Mexico are only a half-mile away!     Architectural Styles: Tapestry Park takes advantage of many complementary architectural styles to create an exceptional sense of place usually reserved for historic towns like Savannah, Natchez, Eufala, and Charleston. These styles combine to offer many house types from which to choose and to create an interesting and comfortable streetscape which just feels like home. Tapestry Park is a community that generates an intrinsic value that is felt by all its residents as well as the surrounding community.   Home Sites: The residential Neighborhood consists of 144 single family home sites of different sizes and 40 Rowhomes along Tapestry Commons. The narrower home sites are located nearer the center of the neighborhood with the wider home sites at the perimeter. Garages are positioned in the rear of home sites, letting the streetscape be defined in terms of porches, stoops, and dwelling facades. There is also the opportunity for an apartment, guest flat or home office above the garage.   Streetscape: The burden of creating a beautiful streetscape is not left entirely up to the dwelling facade; it is rather achieved by a carefully planned juxtaposition of streets, sidewalks, sidewalk trees, and property boundaries acting as foreground to the dwelling facade beyond. Included in this formula is a narrower street. A narrower street slows traffic without speed bumps, creating safer streets while enhancing the neighborhood feel. Clear and simple guidelines guarantee that this streetscape falls naturally into place, strengthening the value of every dwelling.   Lanes: Discreetly set behind most of the home sites are back lanes designed to convey autos and services such as trash pickup to the rear of the home sites. This allows the dwelling to occupy the entire front of the home site to give proper attention and grandeur to the streetscape.   Parks: In Tapestry Park, the park network is as important for walkability and recreation as it is for creating special nodes and beautiful streetscapes which define different districts of the Neighborhood. Walking Parks: Walking Parks: Located throughout the Neighborhood is a string of walking parks. Designed to allow and encourage walking, the parks interact with the network of sidewalks to form a continuous and connected path system.   Gathering Parks: Tapestry Commons will be the central gathering park. This 100 foot wide tree lined park extends some 600 feet from the Town Center at the south end to Brunswick Hall at its north termination. Bordered on both sides by 2 story townhouses, Tapestry Commons will have a grand presence unparalleled in the area. It will include a bandstand and fountain, and plenty of open green area for events and activities. Other gathering parks are integrated into the path network and are interspersed throughout the Neighborhood, enhancing the value of every nearby dwelling.   Community Center: Being a focal point of Neighborhood activity, the Community Center has been given its proper place at the center of the Neighborhood and at the termination of Tapestry Commons. Brunswick Hall anchors the Community Center and provides a place for residents to gather for Neighborhood functions, hold events, enjoy the community library, entertain, and catch up on what's going on in the Neighborhood. Recreational facilities include the swimming/lap pool and lighted tennis and basketball courts.   Wetland Preservation Area: This 12+ acre preservation area sustains a sanctuary for native wildlife and will incorporate a means for enjoying it. Winding through the wetland habitat will be a raised boardwalk, contributing to the extensive path network while placing you right in the middle of pristine, native Florida. Across Lyndell Lane to the east is an extension of this sanctuary in the form of a 35 acre preservation area.   ^ Back to Top