Eco-Friendly Rhapsody Cove Draws National Attention
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Folks all over the country have been hearing about Kankakee County lately, thanks to Rhapsody Cove at Rock Creek, a housing development under construction near Bourbonnais. The one-of-a-kind conservation community has made national news on CNN, and been featured on the Discovery Channel and The Travel Channel.
Why? Because Rhapsody Cove developers Mark Johnson (principal) and Bill Bonner are committed conservationists who say their first and foremost task is preservation of the native-to-Illinois prairie, wetlands and trees on the property. That explains why 63 percent of Rhapsody Cove’s 243 acres will remain open space.
The rest comprises 107 generous estate homesites. Conservation Design Development LLC, the company behind Rhapsody Cove at Rock Creek, secured Kankakee County’s first-ever rural estate zoning for the green development.
“The response has been amazing – especially in this down market,” says Bonner, Conservation Design Development director of marketing and sales. “In this unique time in the housing industry, we are one of one. We are the first and only conservation development ever in Kankakee County. Our hope is that we won’t [remain] the only ones out here doing this. We are promoting the principles of conservation and preservation.”
The company also employs what Bonner calls the Hometown Handshake – meaning Rhapsody Cove uses local builders and subcontractors.
“We wanted to honor our community by doing that,” Bonner explains. “It improves the quality of work when it’s done by local people, and it keeps all the dollars in Kankakee County.”
The development’s amenities include federally protected wetlands, lakes and a park. Find out more at www.rhapsodycove.com.
Story by Carol Cowan
