High Touch.

A North Carolina development sells the softer side of technology.

TECHNOLOGY IS LIKE ANY OTHER PRODUCT: IF you want buyers to pay a premium for it, you need to make them feel like they need it. One way to do this is to wrap it in a package that grabs their emotions. For a builder, the package is apt to be the home or community.

I saw this in action one day in May, while wandering the streets of Carpenter Village, a 940-unit neo-traditional development with a high-tech edge in Cary, N.C. As a package, it's compelling--narrow, winding streets, sidewalks lined with small trees, and brand-new homes (many still under construction) that range in size from compact apartments and townhouses to sprawling executive mansions. The eclectic mix of styles includes Williamsburg, Southern Farmhouse, French Country, Charleston, and Southern Plantation. Many homes have white picket fences and front porches that cry out for a pair of rocking chairs. Because most garages face access roads behind the homes, the main streets invite strolling. On the north side of the 400-acre tract, the Village Marketplace with 110,000 square feet of retail and 45,000 square feet of office space is about to rise from the ground; on the south side, a walking path meanders around a 22-acre pond. I was occasionally surprised by small pocket parks, play areas, and tree stan ds. The feel is one of a real town taking shape.

But while the …