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Oct./Nov. 2006 Growth Spurt Just below the 12-lane line of longitude formed by I-20, the downtown corridor of I-75 and I-85 does more than just split, with one road headed to Miami and the other destined for Montgomery. In the matter of stimulating land development, it divides and conquers. From South Fulton to Henry County, what was once farmland that inspired the setting of Gone With the Wind is now experiencing the sweeping winds of change. In the past decade, one thing has become certain: real estate on the Southside of Atlanta has become prime property for a rush of homebuyers hungry for open spaces and easy access to the big roads into the city. These counties forming the hem of Atlanta’s skirt are now counted among the fastest growing in the country.
Henry County has been getting a boost lately to its rapidly expanding population of more than 160,000 thanks to the overwhelming response to Heron Bay Golf and Country Club (770-957-5633, www.heronbayinfo.com). The best-selling new home community in the county in 2004, the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association awarded Heron Bay last year with the Community of the Year Gold Award. With the addition of five new neighborhoods in 2005, this master-planned development can now accommodate more than 600 homeowners. However, with more neighborhoods on the horizon, Heron Bay will ultimately include over 2,200 homes. The 7,300-yard championship Canongate golf course is reason enough for golf enthusiasts to build their nests here, but other resort-like amenities, such as the lakefront park on the 1,100-acre Cole Reservoir, the three-pool aquatic center, 5,000 square foot community lodge with fitness center, tennis courts and nature trails also draw in families and accent Heron Bay’s landscape. Housing options include everything from garden homes on smaller low-maintenance lots and traditional single-family homes on and off the golf course to custom lakeside homes on large, one-and-a-half-acre estate lots, with prices ranging anywhere from the $180s to more than $2 million.
You know something’s “a good thing” if Martha Stewart is involved, at least in the realm of house and home. Set in South Fulton’s idyllic Fairburn, the Hampton Oaks (888-KB-HOMES, www.kbhome.com) community evolved from collaboration between Stewart and KB Homes, named the number one homebuilder in Fortune magazine’s 2006 list of America’s Most Admired Companies. Featuring exterior elements from Martha’s own abodes, and interior touches such as large kitchen islands, spacious baths, mud rooms and lofts, the eventual 800 one- and two-story homes of Hampton Oaks will come in 17 different floor plans ranging in price from the low $200s to low $400s. Stewart has planned plenty of opportunities for unique home accents, such as an exterior paint color based on the color of actor Paul Newman’s eyes.At least one-third of the development’s 480 acres will be dedicated to open space, complete with a community clubhouse, nature trails, four lighted tennis courts, a junior Olympic swimming pool, a children’s pool and a family playground. Any Stewart fan worth his or her salt knows Martha prefers only the freshest vegetables for her recipes, so it seems perfectly natural that a community garden with plots for homeowners would be among the amenities. How appropriate that land once primarily used for raising crops is now fresh soil for families looking to put down roots in this ever-popular corner of the metro area.
Many new developments cater to the growing number of families flocking to the Southside, including Stonebriar (770-229-1224, www.metrobrokers.com/stonebriar), a 275-home master-planned community in Spalding County’s Griffin neighborhood. Kid-friendly features dot the dedicated open space, the most prominent of which is the fenced-in playground. From the benches of the nearby gazebo, parents can watch their young ones swish on the swings, glide down a six-foot slide or tube, climb the rope ladder, sway on the trapeze bar and rings or pretend to race in the covered tower with dashboard steering wheel. When lunchtime rolls around, the picnic pavilion provides the perfect place for a lemonade and PB-and-J-filled respite. Also, a private walkway provides safe passage from the neighborhood to the brand new, neighboring Moreland Road Elementary School. Conveniently enough, construction is currently underway for the 2007 opening of Carver Road Middle School right next door to Stonebriar.
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