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Vistancia Holds Stargazing Event In State's Only Residential Solar Garden
Date Published: May 21, 2008

VISTANCIA HOLDS STARGAZING EVENT IN STATE'S ONLY RESIDENTIAL SOLAR GARDEN

Peoria residents were able to get a glimpse of Saturn, Mars and Mercury as well as thousands of constellations and galaxies during Vistancia's recent Astronomy Night.

The evening of stargazing was held in the state's only residential solar garden, a built-to-scale model of the solar system located in the heart of Vistancia.

Attendees heard from local astronomer Tony LaConte before moving to nearby Sunset Park to enjoy an evening of stargazing.

"Since Vistancia is a dark-sky community our residents enjoy an unobstructed view of the stars and planets every evening," said Curt Smith, chief operating officer for Sunbelt Holdings which is developing the community in a joint partnership with Shea Homes, both of Scottsdale. "Our Astronomy Night event gives Peoria residents an opportunity to enjoy that same view while learning about the stars."

Positioned along a spiral walking path, the solar garden contains scaled models of each planet hanging from educational panels that are backlit and imprinted with information about each planet.

The distance between each planetary model is proportionate to the distance between the planets in the solar system. At the heart of the spiral, a concrete sun, 12 feet in diameter, takes center stage in an amphitheater designed for educational presentations.

The Solar Garden is adjacent to Vistancia's Discovery Trail, a 3.35-mile trail that serves as a pedestrian artery and connector to the community's various neighborhoods, villages and amenities. Astronomy Night attendees used the path to move from the garden to the waiting telescopes in Sunset Park.

Vistancia is known for its organic design and integration of amenities with neighborhoods. Conceived to co-exist naturally with the surrounding Sonoran desert, the 7,100-acre Vistancia has been a hit with home buyers since it first debuted.

More than 100 different floor plans are currently available at the community, which is comprised of three distinct hubs - the family-oriented Vistancia Village, the age-qualified Trilogy at Vistancia and Blackstone Country Club.

For more information about Vistancia, call 623-933-6233 or visit www.vistancia.com.