So I didn't realize Sera was just under construction when I decided to visit but anyway. As you can see in the photo Sera is under construction so much of the effect of the developer's dream is yet to be realized. Sera is a product of the Lane Corporation and the Dawson Company. According to the Dawson Company website they are focused on sustainable development. Their design for Sera is the "old world neighborhood". As a whole it seems that Sera won't fulfill all of the New Urbanism criteria. To start with, the residences are are starting around $300,000, so many working class people won't be living here. As far as proximity to transportation and businesses go, there will be a significant amount of stores in easy walking distance not to mention the short walk to the Lindbergh Marta Station. They offer outdoor parking and garages with their residences and sidewalks, which supports their "pedestrian friendly" claim.
The website is designed in a very peculiar way. The theme used to present the Sera development is like a movie production. Each little informational page has some kind of scene about how nice it is to live in Sera but there seems to be a very regular connection intended concerning finding someone special or being with a significant other. It reminds me in a way of the classic 50's scences of the traditional suburban family with children playing, dad mowing the lawn, and mom tending the flowerbed. According to the drawings, at Sera there will be couples walking the dog in the park or riding bikes, but there are no sketches of the residence. NO CHILDREN TO BE SEEN in any of the sketches. They certainly go into detail about the local places for shopping and eating but when they list education things start getting vague. Obviously they are focused on selling the location, not the residence.
The market they appear to be going after is young professionals. On each of the floorplans, they list granite countertops, European-style cabinets, and stainless steel appliances for their kitchens. For the bathrooms they list a "large soaking tub". I'm quite certain this is yet another sign that Sera is intended for those without children, since those without children are the ones who would have time to enjoy a large soaking tub.
http://www.scenesofsera.com/pdf/Siteplan.pdf -Site plan of Sera
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