Friday, July 5, 2002

Colony Homes opens nature trail

Colony Homes opened what is believed to be a first for South Fulton County, a private, residential nature trail ­ an increasingly popular amenity for residential communities.

Fulton County Commissioner William "Bill" Edwards cut the ribbon for the nature trail at Colony's Sable Chase community last Saturday.

Sable Chase is located on Buffington Road between Old Bill Cook Road and South Fulton Parkway.

The trail at Sable Chase meanders for half a mile through a lush, 20-acre preserve literally steps beyond the backyards of Sable Chase residents.

The area includes dancing butterflies, chirping birds, a gurgling stream and abundant plant life, from Saint John's Wort to poison ivy ­ all beneath a canopy of giant hardwoods.

This trail meets the requirements of the National Wildlife Federation to be a Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat. It was commissioned by Paul Corley and Todd Hager of PEC Development Inc., and designed by Ron James of Wildlife Habitats, Inc.

"The nature trail has stirred a lot of excitement among our homeowners and strong interest from prospective buyers," said Sable Chase sales representative Rita Goff.

"We're excited about including it among our amenities."

The trail cuts through mostly undisturbed land. There are, however, a few enhancements, including foot bridges, picnic tables, informational signs, and bird houses designed specifically to attract native birds.

Nature preserves and pedestrian trails are popular new amenities for residential communities ­ in fact, for developments of all types.

"They offset the impact of development on the environment and show how developers can give back to the community," said James, of Wildlife Habitats.

Colony is metro Atlanta's second-largest homebuilder, one of the metro area's 50 fastest-growing private companies, the largest privately owned homebuilder in the southeast, and among the top 100 homebuilders nationally. Colony Homes is active in 11 metro Atlanta counties.