Tatonka Waters Neighborhood Design

Tatonka Waters is a master-planned community that maximizes the value of a property while protecting its major natural resources. This 260-acre site overlooking Lake Pulaski in Buffalo, Minnesota, included ponds, creeks, wetlands, savannas, fields and a towering mixed oak woodland.

Our master plan for 450 single and attached housing units began with a detailed ecological and cultural assessment and preservation plan. It protected the chain of ponds, and the steep, wooded slopes were preserved as linked open space and trails. Development was clustered in the less sensitive locations while large lots were carefully sited among the specimen trees. Views were taken into consideration on road and from each neighborhood. A third of the site remained natural open space, heightening lot values and accelerating sales.

MFRA was responsible for land planning, environmental review, municipal approvals, engineering and construction observation.