Housing Options Please Buyers
Published Mar 03, 2008
The planned development of Fieldstone Farms in Rock Spring, Ga., eventually will have 500 homes.
What is a “half-back”?
Yes, it is a runner in football. But it is also a term for retired Northerners who moved to Florida and subsequently decided to migrate halfway back – in many instances to homes in the mountains of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
“In this part of the country, you get a little winter, a little spring, a little summer and a little fall – with none of them ever getting too extreme,” says Howell Moss, mayor of Marion County, Tenn. “Here in Marion County, we have 25,000 acres under residential development right now.”
But it’s not just retirees who are opting for the tri-state region as a prime place to live. Younger people are arriving in great numbers, too, attracted by reasonable real estate prices and natural beauty.
“The region offers plenty of fishing, hunting, boating, hiking – you name it,” Moss says. “We also have lower taxes than most of the country.”
Second Homes for City Residents
With a wide variety of housing available, there is something to meet the needs of virtually every type of homebuyer. For instance, the area is ideal for second-home buyers because it is within a couple hours’ drive of Atlanta, Birmingham, Ala., or Nashville.
Such is the case at the exclusive Canyon Ridge Club, a luxury mountaintop development situated on 400 scenic acres in Dade County, Ga., just south of Chattanooga. The same holds true for the Rarity Club on Nickajack Lake in Marion County, where upscale homes and a Lee Trevino-designed golf course are under construction. When completed, the development will have about 1,000 homes.
Planned Developments
Then there are projects such as Fieldstone Farms and Fieldstone Village in Rock Spring, Ga. Fieldstone Village is a commercial development that will serve Fieldstone Farms, a planned community that eventually will feature 500 homes and townhouses in the $130,000 to $350,000 range.
“I got together with the Fieldstone Farms people to develop a 3-acre commercial center in front of their development that will blend in with the charm of the homes,” says Chris Carlton, owner/developer of Carlton Properties LLC that is managing the Fieldstone Village project. “The community is just south of the historic Chickamauga Battlefield, so we wanted to have an old-time look to the commercial center.”
Carlton says Fieldstone Village will feature retail stores, a restaurant, fitness center and office development in front of Fieldstone Farms, with each building having a vintage appearance.
“For example, one building will look like an old-time gas station, one will look like an old bank, one like a horse barn and so forth,” he says. “The interiors will feature open wood beams and stained floors that provide a Craftsman look, and the outdoor concrete will be stamped to make it look like cobblestones from the old days. The charming buildings will look like they have been around for 50 years – but with all the modern amenities of 2008.”
Back in Marion County, Mayor Moss says more new subdivisions, townhouses and condominiums will be needed to accommodate all of the people who want to relocate. Statistics show that Georgia has 24 of the nation’s fastest-growing counties, while Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee are all among the top 10 most popular states for retirement.
“We’re doing things right here in this part of the country,” Moss says. “It’s just a nice place to live.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
Photo by Wes Aldridge
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