A new development is coming to town and this time it’s singing an environmentally responsible tune. Homes for a Lifetime plans to develop a 125-acre plot in Hooksett into a neighborhood with 38 lots and 72 acres of open space and preserved wildlife habitats.

The slated development has been named Auburn Woods, located off South Bow Road and Mountain Road in Hooksett, and has garnered some praise from the Hooksett Conservation Commission for its approach to sustainability.

Developer Bruce Fillmore said when he first considered the possibility of developing the land, he had conservation in mind.

“The parcel had been in the same family for 200 years,” Fillmore said. “We went out there for a walk, and the trails out there are spectacular.”

The proposed subdivision layout is composed of 38 home plots on 125 acres. The project can technically be labeled as a “conservation subdivision” because of the amount of land – roughly 57 percent – that the developer has committed to retain as green space.

Environmental scientist Mike Lambert, who has surveyed the site, addressed the Conservation Commission Aug. 6, saying the environmental impact on developing the site will not be inconsequential, but it could potentially be much worse with a conventional subdivision plan. “We are indeed impacting the wildlife by developing the property,” Lambert said. “And while there certainly will be a net loss, the habitat will not be entirely lost. Some of it will change and some of it will become more vibrant.”

Lambert fully endorsed the approach that Homes for a Lifetime is taking with the site.

“This could be a model of what could be done with conservation development,” he said.

Timothy Johnson, chairman of the conservation commission, said his group’s job is to work with developers of any project to ensure a negligible environmental impact.

“The only way you can stop development is to buy the land,” Johnson said. “What we’re here to do is to steer (the developer) to conserve important areas of the parcel.”