Sustainable placemaking is the practice of designing communities where environmental stewardship and economic performance reinforce each other — and few projects demonstrate it over a longer arc than Centerra, Realberry’s 3,300-acre master-planned community in Loveland, Colorado. 

In a feature for Loveland & South Lifestyle, Kyle Harris, Realberry’s Senior Vice President of Master-Planned Communities, examines how nearly 30 years of deliberate planning shaped a community that balances economic vitality with nature. Rather than treating open space as an amenity line item, Centerra’s plan integrated native landscapes, lakes, and trail networks from the outset — choices that reduce water use, lower long-term maintenance costs, and give the community an identity rooted in Colorado’s regional ecology. 

Central to that story is Centerra’s partnership with the High Plains Environmental Center (HPEC), established in 2001 to provide long-term ecological stewardship alongside new development. HPEC’s research on plant performance and ecological resilience has informed landscape decisions across the community — and now informs Realberry’s development strategies beyond it. The results are measurable: irrigation modernization at Centerra saves more than 5 million gallons of water annually, with usage at 76% of the city-mandated budget. 

Cultural anchors like the Chapungu Sculpture Park, alongside hundreds of acres of parks and open space, have made Centerra a replicable example of sustainable growth — one where placemaking decisions made decades ago continue to support leasing, absorption, and long-term community value today.

Read the full article in Loveland & South Lifestyle →

To go deeper on the development principles behind Centerra, read “Lessons in Long-Term Community Building.” Accredited investors can explore Realberry’s current multifamily, commercial, and mixed-use opportunities on the Invest page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is sustainable placemaking? 

Sustainable placemaking is the practice of designing communities where environmental systems, public spaces, and economic uses are planned together — so that stewardship decisions like native landscaping, open-space preservation, and water efficiency also strengthen a community’s identity, demand, and long-term value. 

How does Centerra demonstrate sustainable placemaking? 

Centerra integrated open space, native landscapes, lakes, and trails into its master plan from the beginning, and formalized long-term stewardship through the High Plains Environmental Center, founded in 2001. Nearly 30 years on, those early decisions continue to shape how the community grows. 

What measurable results has Centerra’s approach produced? 

Irrigation modernization at Centerra saves more than 5 million gallons of water annually, with community water usage at 76% of the city-mandated budget. The community today includes more than 4,500 homes and over 150 businesses employing approximately 8,500 people. 

Why does sustainable placemaking matter to real estate investors? 

Communities designed around regional ecology tend to require fewer inputs, cost less to maintain over their lifecycle, and remain competitive as market expectations evolve. For long-term investors, sustainability of this kind functions as an operating advantage that compounds across market cycles.