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Planned, Naturally
Years of land stewardship and careful planning are now coming to fruition at Kiawah River. This enables our residents to create their own personal sanctuary amid a lush riverfront environment.
Our philosophy is shaped by vision and guided by a community plan for connectivity and walkability, open space views for residents from their homes and throughout the community, access and connection to the vast coastline of water, and an intentional series of distinct Neighborhoods which connect people with pedestrian friendly streetscapes, inviting front porches, and abundant gathering spaces.
Quality and beauty, conservation, sustainability, and green building practices guide us at every turn.
Nature drives everything
Every drive to and from your home at Kiawah River brings something new — naturally. When one native species blooms and goes to seed, another is growing and getting ready to bloom. Blushing crabapple trees attract scores of hummingbirds while seas of milkweed branches host monarch caterpillar feasts. And when the buds of the springtime coreopsis rest in the meadow, their 6-foot-tall yellow goldenrod neighbors reach for the sky.
Hosting butterflies, birds & bees
Some of the most important plants on Kiawah River are also the best hosts. Powerful plants and flowers including white indigo, dogfennel, milkweed, asters and coneflowers share natural space on Kiawah River roadsides and farms, providing a vital source of nectar and nutrition for maintaining the coastal sea island’s pollinators throughout their lifecycle. While host plant flowers may be invisible to our naked eye, their nectar attracts and sustains wild bees, monarch butterflies and painted buntings all year long.
Conserving water protects wildlife
Kiawah River’s Wildlife Management plan focuses on using wildlife to manage itself, while offering a helping hand. Throughout the property, the utmost care and thoughtful execution is given to maintaining nature’s cyclical cohesion. By replacing sod, which requires large volumes of water, with 15-20 feet of managed meadows filled with native perennials including Swamp Sun and Beautiful Blue Mist and grasses including Little Bluestem cordgrass and Big Top lovegrass between the road and unmanaged natural space, wildlife and waterways continue to flourish.
Providing safe green spaces
As the South Carolina Lowcountry’s first agrihood, Kiawah River prioritizes residents’ wellness and a strong connection to nature by offering green spaces to engage the community and be a part of Kiawah River nature. All of our parks and green spaces are connected by travel corridors, an important aspect of protection for our fauna. In addition to storing carbon and making oxygen, these corridors assist and protect native wildlife’s migratory habits by connecting their natural spaces safely. By respecting the travel patterns of deer, tortoises, osprey, eagles and owls, Kiawah River’s self-sustaining environment continues to thrive.
Protects wetlands and wildlife
All green spaces contribute to aiding our climate. In addition to storing carbon and making oxygen, they protect wetlands by preventing soil erosion and filtering runoff. When rains hit the road, the natural buffers of grasses and flowers in the meadow filter any pollutants or fertilizers that may otherwise reach waterways like marshes, ponds and Kiawah River.
Buffers provide protection for prey and predators
Natural landscapes flanking Kiawah River Drive are carefully designated to support the Lowcountry ecosystem and provide protection for wildlife including rabbits, turkeys and owls to hunt, make nests and have a safe place to loaf in the heat of the day. These buffers also provide protection for ospreys and eagles perching high above the nearby ponds as they look down to see the natural landscape between them and passing cars.
| Life along the River |
kiawah river: 3883 Betsy Kerrison Parkway Johns Island, SC 29455 |
tel: 843.973.8600 |