You’ve probably heard of communities built around a golf course, a lake, or even a working farm, but a new development in the Mojave River Valley has a different focus altogether. Located a short drive from Silverwood Lake, Pacific Crest Trail, and Big Bear, Silverwood is a 15,663-home master-planned community that will be built around a culture of kindness.
Spanning 9,000 acres, Silverwood will be the size of a small town, and DMB Development is consciously trying to cultivate that old-fashioned, neighborly vibe in its creation. Over half of the land is allocated for parks, open spaces, and natural areas, while 700,000 square feet of retail development will serve the needs of its inhabitants.
Kindness comes into play in several different ways in this development. It’s incorporated into the community’s design with elements that foster connection and social interaction, like front porches, walkable neighborhoods, bright exterior colors, and multigenerational floor plans. Kindness also extends to the environment—all homes in Silverwood will have solar panels, and 9,000 will also have dual-plumbing systems that allow greywater to be diverted and used to water lawns and gardens.
Silverwood’s Crest Club offers further opportunities for kindness and social connection, with a games room, basketball and pickleball courts, and pools. There will be 107 miles of paths and paseos to reconnect people with nature, while 387 acres of parks offer plenty of space for kids to play, dogs to run, and people to get to know their neighbors. The Village Green is a shared outdoor space featuring a playground, a bandstand for live music, plus space for a Farmer’s market and food trucks, making it a perfect venue for a slow Saturday morning spent shopping, playing, and eating lunch al fresco.
Although you can’t mandate kindness, Silverwood’s general manager, John Ohanian, has made a concerted effort to instill this value in the community through a kindness pledge, which he shares with builders and contractors so they can understand and apply the vision in their work. Silverwood is also baking the concept into its community structure with positions like their Community Management Team, which helps residents launch social clubs, host porch parties, and maintain the spirit of consideration, dignity, and respect.
A development this size that hopes to attract young families needs schools. Silverwood also has plans for elementary, middle, and high schools, each accessed by dedicated walking paths. The schools will also focus on cultivating kindness as one of their core values.
On their website, Silverwood explains that their desire to become a city of kindness is based on more than lofty idealism, saying, “The benefits of this initiative are grounded in research which documents how communities that prioritize and practice kindness experience lower crime rates, reduced stress, and increased cohesion. Research shows it builds an environment that breeds success–from kids excelling in their education to residents leading more satisfied, healthier lives. Our vision for Silverwood isn’t just grand; it’s grounded in tangible outcomes rooted in compassion and understanding.”
Silverwood is currently under construction (you can track progress on their website). DMB Developers has partnered with four home builders to construct the 2000 houses making up phase one: Lennar, Richmond American Homes, Watt Capital Developers, and Woodside Homes. The first phase is scheduled to open in early 2025.
