ROSEMARY THYMES | 10
From the POA
Welcome to Rosemary Beach!
O
ne of the many wonderful things about Rosemary Beach is how easy it is to spend quality time outdoors here. Being outside, rather than indoors, has of course had extra significance for our health in recent years, but know that getting outside has long been a priority for the locals here. Whether enjoying a sunset with friends on one of the beach walkovers, napping on a shady porch, playing bocce in a neighborhood park, or just taking a stroll enjoying the beautiful homes and vistas, being able to spend so much time outside is rejuvenating and invigorating.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WELLDESIGNED CIVIC SPACE One of the foundational concepts of New Urbanism is placing a high priority on the civic realm – the streets, parks, walkways and town buildings that provide the framework around which private homes, apartments and commercial buildings are organized. What does this have to do with being outside?
The answer is that the outdoor space in New Urbanist towns like Rosemary Beach is designed for moving about, for gathering and for enjoying. It is not a byproduct, the left-over space after other uses but rather it was designed first to organize and enhance the community. Communities that lack thoughtfully designed civic spaces struggle with identity, and, in turn, tend to be perceived as ordinary and boring. Places that inspire passion and excitement are typically the same places that have a strong community identity and character that is fostered by carefully designed civic space. Now that we see the general connection between civic spaces and the opportunity to integrate the outdoors in our daily lives, the value of some of the other aspects of Rosemary Beach can be more easily understood. Our Town Center is just that – it’s in the center of town, making it a short walk from any of the surrounding neighborhoods. Two other elements that were very
much considered during the design and implementation of the town’s masterplan are the locations of the four community pools – one in each quadrant, a short walk from nearby homes – and the inclusion of the Fitness Trail that winds through parks both large and small, via the network of boardwalks, with several exercise stations that are distributed in intervals throughout the community. The major streets, Rosemary Avenue, Georgetown and Charlestown Avenues, and Water Street (a ring road), connect all the pools and neighborhood parks with Town Center. That structure is what makes Rosemary Beach feel unique, like every home and shop is part of a larger whole. Each of these elements was consciously included in the plan for the town, and it is a pattern that is often repeated at a smaller scale in the individual homes and buildings, where indoor and outdoor spaces are organized to create opportunities for more or less privacy, to enjoy particular views, and to also create a sense
of connection to the outside world whether it be glimpses of the activity in Town Center, a neighborhood park, or the gulf. A MAINTENANCE PLAN FOR THE MASTER PLAN As Rosemary Beach and the surrounding communities continue to be discovered by new generations and families, the ongoing development both in and around our town will place significant pressures on us as we strive to maintain our town’s character and its common spaces, such as our parks, our streets, and our sidewalks. Less visible but no less important, there is also infrastructure such as telecommunications networks and other utilities, as well as programs such as garbage collection and parking management that all need to evolve to meet these new levels of service. The Board of Directors and staff of the Rosemary Beach Property Owners Association (POA) continue to take a proactive role to ensure we adapt to these changes as quickly and efficiently as possible.
