Session to plan Eufaula lake community
NEW TOWN
Session to plan Eufaula lake community

By Richard Mize

Published: July 15, 2008

Andres Duany, a founder of the "New Urbanism” school of community architecture and planning, will lead a charrette, a kind of semipublic design work session, to develop plans for Humphreys Co.'s Carlton Landing, a 1,500-acre Lake Eufaula resort community.

The Humphreys family has owned shoreline property at Lake Eufaula for decades. Kirk Humphreys, the former Oklahoma City mayor, and his son, Grant, are planning Carlton Landing. "Carlton” is a family name — the middle name of Grant Humphreys, his grandfather Jack Humphreys and Grant's young son, Jack II.

Duany, who founded Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co. with his wife, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, in 1980, will open the charrette at 5 p.m. today at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City — about 130 miles west of the development site, but where most of those involved in the planning, investing and construction are centered.

"We sought the nation's top planning team to make sure Carlton Landing is developed with the grandeur of Lake Eufaula in mind,” Kirk Humphreys said. "Eufaula is beautiful, and we want to complement the magnificence while maintaining the relaxing lifestyle that makes Lake Eufaula Oklahoma's jewel.”

Carlton Landing will be 2½ miles south of the intersection of State Highways 9 and 9A, about 5 miles south of the city of Eufaula. Humphreys Co. has about 90 percent of the land acquired or under contract.

It will be "a different kind of lake community,” Humphreys said, noting that while Duany's main expertise and reputation rest on "new urbanist town planning,” "urban” is a misnomer for what is envisioned at Lake Eufaula.

"It won't be urban, but it should be authentically Oklahoman,” he said.

As part of the charrette process, he said, architects, designers and planners will tour the lake property — lakeside woods "like God made it” — then look at projects in Guthrie, Norman and historic districts of Oklahoma City. Whatever they come up with for Lake Eufaula, he said, it will fit the topography and ambience of the area.

Humphreys said he knows well the cove that will anchor the development.

"I've been skiing there since the 1970s,” he said, noting that the site is where clear-running Longtown Creek meets the lake.

Grant Humphreys said he knows from experience the benefits of having a family retreat close by.

"There's a real special need for families for a getaway a couple of hours away,” he said. "You're away from the hustle and bustle of life. You turn off the cell phone and Blackberry. For us growing up, going to the lake meant uninterrupted family time, long days, making great memories. For us, I think that lake has done more to tie together the extended Humphreys family than anything else.”

Planning really will start today, with Duany, who has received numerous awards and whose firm's design of Seaside, Fla., in 1979 essentially originated the new urbanist movements.

"I have not told them anything but here's the land — and provided mountains of topographical information,” Kirk Humphreys said.

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