A group called the Urban Century Institute is planning to build a sustainable community on a scenic 12.5-acre tract in East Brainerd.

Sandy Kurtz, the group's leader, said, "There are some individual LEED homes and sustainable projects, but this is a whole new thing. It will be an entire sustainable community."

She said up to 30 homes will be built on a small portion of the property at 8012 Shallowford Road. The remainder will be placed under conservation easements.

The developers will be Dr. Chris Moore and Jimmy Glascock of Odyssey Land Company. Dr. Moore developed Long Branch in the Hinkle community of Lookout Mountain.

Ms. Kurtz said the property now includes an old house and old barn that will be taken down. The homes will be built at that location at the top of a knoll. She said only 2-3 acres will be used for the home sites.

Ms. Kurtz said, "The homes will all have a view. If you had told me you could see Lookout Mountain from East Brainerd, I would not have believed you."

She said the homes will be of modest size and there will be minimum land disturbance. She said the homes will have a number of energy features and aim at "net zero" energy consumption. She said such features as green roofs, natural lighting, geothermal heat and passive and active solar are under consideration.

The project is currently being planned and due to begin in about a year.

Ms. Kurtz said there will be minimal roads and they will be narrow and follow the landscape.

She said the property has a wide diversity of birds and also of native plants. "It's a beautiful piece of land," she said.

Pilgrim Congregational Church had once planned to build there, but sold it to the Tennessee Environmental Council instead. That group turned it over to the Urban Century Institute for management.

The property is on the right side of the road just past the Jenkins Road intersection coming from the Hamilton Place area.

The TEC had sued over the construction of the Brainerd Wal-Mart, claiming that a conservation easement was being violated. The environmental group obtained a settlement and used those funds to purchase the Shallowford Road tract.

Ms. Kurtz said the group wanted to find a site in the South Chickamauga Creek watershed, and this property is in that watershed.

She said the group also received in the settlement an eight-acre low-lying tract behind Big Lot's in Brainerd. That property is being developed as a nature sanctuary.

Volunteers helped clean it on a recent "Comcast Cares" day.