Friday, November 21, 2003

Hii Country’s first development is underway

By LINDSAY BIANCHI
Special to The Citizen

It could be the look of the future even though it feels like the past. The 900-acre Serenbe Community is a dream that's fast becoming a reality in South Fulton County. The community is the first development in the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance and the first lots went up for sale in late October. Plans are to complete the project by this time next year.

Serenbe public relations representative Candace McCaffrey said Selborne is one of the two hamlets that make up Serenbe.

It is an arts-oriented community which will have a variety of townhomes, live/work spaces, estate homes and cottages, over 200 units in all. A farm community of 5 five-acre organic farm lots, a horse stable, blacksmith shop and organic food market completes the master plan begun by founders Marie and Steve Nygren, Nan and Rawson Harvey and Ryan Gainey.

Utilizing energy efficient, EarthCraft homes while retaining a good 70 percent of its green space, the Serenbe Community plans to grow in harmony with it's surroundings and avoid the sprawl that has surrounded Atlanta in recent years.

"We are committed to creating a place where neighbors will be drawn together by their common interests in nature, art and a way of life removed from the pace of the city." Steve Nygren stated recently.

Established as a Bed and Breakfast in the early '90's, Serenbe is "a community unlike any other" Nygren asserts.

Marie and Steve Nygren purchased 60 acres of land just west of Palmetto which became the Serenbe Bed and Breakfast. They relocated from Atlanta where they started the popular Pleasant Peasant Restaurants. They steadily expanded their business and became involved in a new vision of living.

Rawson Harvey, whose background in American Red Cross social work, real estate, residential contracting and his years with Haverty's Furniture, is another key to the development's success. His wife, Nan, who founded Swann Sevices in Atlanta, a high rise cleaning and corporate apartment rental business has also brought her expertise to the table. With Ryan Gainey, internationally known garden designer on hand to add his finishing touch to the landscape, a unique and beautiful environment is now an available option to commuters and non-commuters alike.

For more information on the development, call 770-463-9997.