Q+A: John Ohanian on Silverwood's Community of Kindness

John Ohanian is the general manager of the Silverwood Joint Venture, a partnership among DMB Development, Schlegel Capital, and Beaumont Financial Partners to develop Silverwood, a master-planned community in Hesperia, Calif., east of Los Angeles, a 9,000-acre plat entitled for more than 15,000 homes at buildout. Phase 1 includes nearly 2,100 units, with prices starting in the low $400s. The first residents moved in last year. 

In addition to its size and enviable elevated location, the project is leaning into kindness as a core value among its residents, builders, and development team, anchored by a Kindness Pledge (see sidebar below) that homeowners are asked to sign at closing to foster that culture across the community.  

PB: How was the culture of kindness articulated as a selling point to your home builders and homebuyers? 

JO: We started with the concept early, integrating it in our community design, creating a place that naturally encouraged neighbors to gather.  We continued adding aspects as we progressed through the design and entitlement process and purposefully designed neighborhoods with pocket parks in every neighborhood that would serve as gathering places and would provide opportunities for neighbors to connect and get to know one another.

We will anchor each village with a community center that we call the Village Green.  These spaces can be programmed for community and neighborhood wide events such as concerts in the park, movie nights, and special festivals. 

We know that kindness is a natural outflow from developing relationships with those around you. Our most recent piece is a “Kindness Pledge” that we give to each new homeowner, asking them to join us in fostering a culture of kindness that will benefit everyone in the community.   

We have now thoughtfully integrated kindness into our warm welcome gift that each new homeowner receives, reminding them of the importance of living in kindness.   

PB: When are homebuyers introduced to the Kindness Pledge?  

JO: Every guest who comes to Silverwood is introduced to the Kindness Pledge and the concept of a community founded on a desire to foster a culture of kindness in everything we do. The Pledge is aspirational and included in the homeowners association (HOA) documents for the community. Residents asked to adopt this as part of their commitment to life here. 

PB:  What is included in the warm welcome gift and how is kindness represented?  

JO: The warm welcome gift basket includes a variety of locally sourced items designed to encourage neighbors to gather together, including locally made honey and a loaf of sourdough bread baked by our resident baker, among others.  It is designed to set the stage with an easy way for residents to gather together and begin forming relationships.

PB: What’s been the "the real-world" outcome of the concept? 

JO: Residents have enthusiastically embraced the concept of kindness. From pulling in the trash cans of neighbors they know are working to donating to our various drives, it has become a concept embraced.   

When you attend our community gatherings and special events, you can see and sense a more engaged community wanting to get to know one another. It has been fun to watch as new residents moving into the community are greeted by their neighbors, receiving special “warm welcomes” before receiving an official welcome from our community life team.   

When you create a place that encourages families to gather and enjoy time together while the kids are playing in the parks or involved in games and special competitions, it impacts how you see each other and the world, and when challenges arise, gives you pause in how you engage.   

We know we are on the right path when we see neighbors reaching out to each other to help in simple things.  And even this early, it seems to be an unwritten rule to always wave to your neighbors, knowing you’ll be getting a wave back.

PB: Unrelated to kindness, what steps did the development team take to make the community and homes more resistant to wildfire risks?  

JO: All Silverwood builders are building to the state’s Chapter 7 building code requirements for fire-resistance-rated construction, smoke barriers, fire blocking, and means to control fire spread. All homes have noncombustible roofs, low profile venting, boxed eaves, and fire sprinklers in every house. 

We’ve also developed extensive fuel modification zones around the project, such as xeriscape landscaping for front yards, street parkways, and medians to reduce fire potential. We built a fire station at the entrance to the project and will build more as development progresses, and working with the local fire protection district to potentially build a wildlands fire camp at the south edge of the property.