As the Snohomish County Conservation Corps attacked the non-native vegetation around his home with lawnmowers and weed whackers, developer and homeowner Tom Campbell said removing that vegetation is only one of many environmentally friendly steps planned in the development of the new Clearwater Commons.

Campbell adds that to the best of his knowledge, Clearwater is the first “deep green” development in the Puget Sound area, a development designed to maintain what appears to be an incredibly rustic and quiet setting despite being just a short distance from the urbanized Canyon Park area.

By “deep green,” Campbell means the Commons will use permeable walkways and driveway surfaces to reduce water runoff. Homes will have solar panels and “green” roofs. Commons volunteers will replace those non-native plants with more appropriate species already growing in an on-site nursery. Plentiful work also is planned to restore the portion of North Creek that winds through the development.

“It’s become a mission of ours,” Campbell said, referring not only to his own family, but those other families already committed to being part of the Commons.

Situated at the northern end of Bothell in unincorporated Snohomish County, Clearwater only recently earned construction approvals from Snohomish County. Site tours are planned for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. June 24 starting at the Clearwater School, 1510 196th St., S.E.

With Campbell’s wife Stephanie Sarantos as director, the school sits across the street from the Commons and is closely related to the overall project.

The former farmhouse Campbell, Sarantos and their three children call home is the first and, for now, the only residence in the development. In total, 16 units are planned, along with a couple of common spaces.

But just looking at the farmhouse its not hard to imagine that the Commons is intended to be a bit different. For example, the home’s roof is covered mostly with solar panels, but flowers and greenery spring from a planted area over the front porch.

Sarantos said in restoring the old farmhouse, the couple bought locally produced items to cut down on the environmental impact of having materials transported from elsewhere. Predictably, they used recycled furnishings throughout the home, right down to the flooring. No toxic finishes or paints were allowed.

Talking about the overall 7.4-acre site, Campbell used the term “low-impact development” as much as “deep green.” The Commons will produce no water run-off, channeling what water doesn’t soak back into the soil naturally into a raingarden. Campbell contrasted that approach with the original developer’s idea to place a large retention basin near what is now Campbell’s front yard.

Restoring the Commons’ section of North Creek also is a big part of the overall aim of the project. Campbell described the waterway as an important Chinook salmon habitat. Sarantos noted that unlike some other varieties of salmon, Chinook spend a good of time in creeks and streams before heading out into more open waters. That makes creating shelter pools and other measures planned for North Creek all the more important.

Because of the unique nature of the Commons, Campbell said getting permits and licenses took a lot longer than usual. But Campbell also seems to consider himself somewhat of a pioneer, possibly helping draw up the blueprint for other low-impact developments in the area.

Campbell spotted the Commons property in 2006 when he and his wife bought the Clearwater School. Sarantos described the school as democratic, with the staff and students all voting on the direction of classes and curriculum. Would-be Commons residents buy into the development and many of the six families already part of the process have children in the school.

While the Commons is not a nonprofit, Sarantos said the homes in the development are being sold at cost, that more important is the building approach being used and the sense of community the couple hope to create.

“That’s the other part of it, creating a sense of family,” she said.

Why go to all the trouble of creating a green development instead of just buying a condo?

“Sometimes I wonder,” Campbell joked. “I think you have to change the way you think about our world,” he added.

“I think everyone in the community just wants to make a difference,” Sarantos said.

For more information on Clearwater Commons, visit their Web site at www.clearwatercommons.com.