Mr. Harry is the Principal and founder of Seth Harry and Associates, Inc., Architects and Planners. He is a licensed architect with 35 years of in-depth experience in the design, master planning, and implementation of sustainable community developments, new and infill mixed-use projects, small town revitalization plans and strategies, and transit-oriented development (TOD). He and his firm work both domestically and abroad.
Prior to starting his own company, he was Design Director for the late James Rouse’s Enterprise Development Company, where he was involved in many of the company’s most successful projects. Since founding his firm in 1992, he has focused on applying lessons learned from larger-scale, mixed-use projects and urban infill/redevelopments to smaller “main-street” communities, urban villages, suburban retrofit and traditional neighborhood developments. Mr. Harry’s role on the team is crucial because of his approach in focusing on key planning principles and local building traditions to inform how developments are planned and built to fit in seamlessly with the communities and regions where they are constructed.
“The HUB at La Plata will consist of an interconnected network of walkable neighborhoods, based on the same planning principles that informed La Plata’s original design, as well as the planning of many historic towns and villages throughout Southern Maryland. These neighborhoods will be nestled within the rolling topography of the site such as to maximize the preservation of open space, while minimizing impervious areas, and the disturbance of natural habitat and wildlife corridors.
The HUB, which is planned to have five neighborhoods built over the course of decades, will provide essential goods and services for its residents, and include a range of housing options to meet the multi-generational needs of its residents, including single millennials, families and retirees, and those interested in ‘aging in place.’ A primary goal of the community is to attract a regional-scale job base, made possible by broadband technology already on site that will allow people to access quality jobs closer to home and not spend hours in traffic every day.
The HUB’s plan is based on land-use principles designed to achieve a high quality of life through better living, working and transportation models. This approach incorporates both local and regional employment centers; an enhanced network of new roads, based on the concept of “complete streets,” to help reduce congestion; direct access to nature, pedestrian and bike paths and other recreational facilities; employment centers; pocket parks; a primary school; and convenient access to daily needs, goods and services.”