The famous philosophical question, “If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, does it make a sound?” takes an ironic twist in this tale.

While he didn’t hear them, when Steve Nygren saw trees being removed from a neighboring 11¬acre site he immediately thought his suburban Atlanta retirement paradise was being threatened. While it ultimately proved to be a false alarm, the possibility that something could ruin his dreams spurred Nygren into action.

Nygren, who had sold his business empire of 34 restaurants in eight states to open a bed and breakfast in an old rural farmhouse, knew that being located in one of the last undeveloped areas just 30 minutes southwest of Atlanta meant that development was imminent. After all, it was 2001 and Atlanta was already bursting at the seams. Nygren wanted to make sure that he would have input into what would be happening around him.

He initially found that when combined with two neighboring landowners, the three of them owned 25% of the remaining 40,000 acres of agriculturally-zoned land in southern Fulton County. While both of the other major landowners were absentee owners, they also maintained a conservation-oriented approach to the land’s value. A partnership with The Nature Conservancy was initiated.

The new mission was to identify and communicate with other area landowners. Research soon determined that 36 owners owned at least 180 acres and represented 51% of the available acres. Then the challenge really intensified when a meeting was held with 25 of the owners present.

“We were able to convince the folks that there was a threat coming. However,” Nygren explains, “it was a mixed response.”

“The diversity of the landowners was phenomenal,” he relates. “Some had had the land in their family for five to eight generations and even their responses were mixed. Half thought that a payday was coming and the other half didn’t want anything to change. Some even thought that if we didn’t do anything, nothing would happen.”

“Another portion of the land owners were prominent in the Atlanta community who had purchased property up to 30 years ago when it was thought that the ‘new’ airport was going to be located in southern Fulton County. And, finally,” says Nygren, “there were some like me who had thought they were escaping the city life when they moved into this rural area.”

The first meeting ended with emotions high and there was an immediate concern that nothing would ever be resolved with a group so diverse. However, over a number of meetings ¬which a clever marketing ploy included “free dinners” to encourage attendance ¬and through the hiring of an independent meeting facilitator, significant progress was made in February of 2002.

As everyone began to agree that things could be done in a better way - meaning that they could collectively help direct the way in which the area was developed, the group became organized as the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance with a self-imposed dues structure of $2 per acre.

“Everyone agreed that collectively we could raise the value of the property and still maintain the quality of life,” summarized Nygren. “If we worked together, maybe we could accomplish some of what everyone wanted. Otherwise, we figured we were destined to end up opposing each other in zoning battles.”


What Do We Have; What Do We Want?
With an understanding of a purpose now clear, it was time for the Alliance to take the next step in determining what was contained within the 40,000 acres and what they wanted it to become. They also realized they were going to need some educational and municipal guidance.

Dr. Phillip Tabb, the department head of the Texas A & M architecture program, was asked to lead a charrette based upon a noted background in sustainable architectural design and village planning with a special focus on place typologies.

Landowners, county planners, and the environmental groups were all involved in the intense two-day meeting event. The result was a conceptual site plan that included major village centers with a couple of hamlets. Then, they put it in a drawer. There was a bigger decision made on how to proceed next.

Realizing that they now had a consensus among the 36 landowners owning 51% of the land, they determined that - based upon the same realities that they had already faced - there was a significant need to include the remaining landowners involved in the discussion. This was a pretty significant task, considering that 500 different landowners owned the remaining 49%.

With the help of a grant, the Alliance divided the 500 landowners into eight groups based upon the amount of land they own. For instance, one group was comprised of individuals owning an acre or less; another was comprised of owners with 50-180 acres.

The groups met in homes, community centers, churches, and schools over the next few months to relate the terminology and the desire to have some control over development that was certain to happen.

“Our intent was to empower everyone in the community so that they could let us know what their ideas, concerns, and motivations were,” explains Nygren. “We wanted to start a real public process.”

The public process took a formal turn as large groups began meeting and putting the pieces together. It culminated one evening with 15 tables all containing large maps of the area.

“We wanted everyone to identify and prioritize the components of the area that were important to them,” he relates. “We wanted them to circle key historical structures, nature areas, etc… on the maps. Then, we also explained the reality - this area is projected to grow by 30,000 homes over the next 20 years.”

The result, after putting the template maps together, was strikingly familiar. As a whole, everyone in the area could agree on the future look of the area.

Government officials were amazed. In a virtual unanimous vote of landowners, a conceptual development of 40,000 acres had been agreed to within three months of presentation and discussion.


The Results
With historical Atlanta land development patterns, 80 percent of the land would have been disturbed to accommodate 30,000 homes. When the CHC community-based land use plan is built out, only 16 percent of the land will be disturbed to accommodate 38,000 homes plus civic, retail and commercial space. The remaining undisturbed land will be permanently preserved as greenspace, and infrastructure costs will be 40 percent of typical.

Once neighboring landowners saw and heard what was happening, some others wanted to be included in the CHC plan.

“We have expanded into the four neighboring counties, but it was by invitation-only,” relates Nygren. “We were very clear that we did not want to get into any land battles. Individuals and municipalities (counties) needed to be in agreement about joining with us.”

Now, over 65,000 acres, almost 100 square miles, of farmland and forests and miles of the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries are included. Amazingly, this land is situated in south Fulton, northwestern Coweta, eastern Carroll and eastern Douglas counties and is less than thirty minutes from the cultural and economic resources of the city of Atlanta.

The growth has also resulted in some organizational changes.

In order to avoid potential conflicts of interest, a second organization was formed, the Chattahoochee Hill Country Conservancy, which seeks grants to support the four county green space and land planning initiatives. While the Alliance is still an active organization that has grown to include landowners in both Fulton and Coweta counties, the Conservancy is the active arm that performs the day-to-day objectives of implementing the many projects taking place throughout the Hill Country, including the green space plans and implementation of the transfer of development rights (TDR) program.

The Alliance continues to educate local residents on sustainable development and also works with the county government to implement the CHC development standards that have been defined, but the Conservancy has taken the ideas that were begun with the Alliance and are working with organizations, groups and governments from various areas to implement plans of sustainable development and conservation on a regional basis.

Key to the implementation of the CHC Land Use Plan is TDR, a land development tool that allows an owner to sell some or all rights to develop a property (sending area) and transfer those rights to a different piece of property (receiving area).

In April 2003, the Georgia Legislature passed an amendment to the Transfer of Development Rights legislation (Senate Bill 86), making TDRs available to any Georgia county that adopts enabling TDR ordinances. Fulton County had already passed the enabling ordinance earlier that month, making Fulton County the first eligible area for TDR transactions, not only in Georgia, but in the entire southeastern United States. It is believed that only Montgomery County, Maryland has approved similar arrangements on a large scale. Almost a dozen other states are using TDRs, but on a much smaller scale.

For a developer to obtain the additional density that he wishes, it does not require a zoning change, but acquisition of development rights equal to the desired density.

“Usually preservationists and developers are on opposite sides of the table,” states Nygren. “This puts them together because in order for development to happen, development rights must be purchased. Once purchased, the seller’s property becomes preserved through a permanent conservation easement.” Stacy Patton, president of the CHC Conservancy, said that some landowners have already registered to sell their development rights and that many more are interested.

“People are waiting to see how difficult this process is,” she says. “Many are skeptical because this is still a relatively new concept for Georgia, although it has worked well in other states for many years.”


Sustainable Development
The Chattahoochee Hill Country promotes the use of sustainable development practices, including concentrating development on smaller footprints, reducing impervious surfaces and employing low-impact development methods. Through its outreach programs, it educates the community, local government and builders on a better way to grow.

The Chattahoochee Hill Country has created innovative ways to manage growth and preserve the environment through new land use tools that allow higher density mixed-use developments while preserving green space. Within the Chattahoochee Hill Country, three types of sustainable development options are available -villages, hamlets, and conservation subdivisions. All of these development types cluster the houses and preserve green space, but each works in a very different way.

The village (MIX-CHC zoning classification) allows for a mix of uses for residents to live, work, and relax. The village provides a designated ‘center’ of continuous activity for the residents and will include residential, office, retail, commercial and civic spaces. It is a minimum size of 500 acres, in which the density is increased (14 units per acre maximum) to allow for a mix of uses and a more pedestrian-friendly pattern, thus encouraging a mix of age groups and income levels in the community. In order to preserve the surrounding landscape, a rural protection buffer will surround the entire village site. There are numerous benefits to this type of development, including lower development costs, services cost, and land consumption; and because transfer of development rights is necessary to build a village, the surrounding landscape is perpetually preserved and the existing rural character of the area is maintained.

Clustering population and services in the villages can preserve the outlying agricultural areas as well as the natural features within the Hill Country. The village development pattern also encourages different transportation options such as walking, biking, and public transportation. The site development is pedestrian-oriented, with building entrances facing the street to create a sense of place and a feeling of community.

Three future villages have been sited in the Hill Country based upon access, utilities, existing natural features and open space, topography, community services and existing population. The village locations were selected by the community during development of their land use plan, and were unanimouosly approved by the Fulton County Commission after reviewing county infrastructure.

The hamlet (CUP-CHC zoning classification) is intended to provide a mix of dwellings and local services to the community in a compact pattern that promotes land conservation. A hamlet is a minimum of 200 acres with an overall density of one unit per acre, but development is clustered on a maximum of 40% of the land while 60% is preserved as green space. There are no designated areas for hamlets ¬they can occur in any area within the Hill Country. A hamlet is a lot like a village, just smaller. They encourage a mix of development types and sizes and can include residential, office, retail and commercial uses. Hamlets must occur in a manner that addresses pedestrian scale, the area’s rural character and the importance of protecting green space.

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners adopted a third zoning option for south Fulton County, a conservation subdivision, on April 21, 2004. In contrast to the MIX-CHC and CUP-CHC zoning districts, the conservation subdivision is not permitted to have a mix of residential and commercial uses. However, this ordinance does allow a developer to cluster homes on smaller lots so that a minimum of 40 percent of land is set aside as open space. The conservation subdivision is another voluntary option for development in the Chattahoochee Hill Country that will achieve sounder land use than the underlying AG-1 zoning.


Serenbe—Initial Development
One of the first developments is virtually in Nygren’s backyard. Serenbe, a combination of the words “serenity” and “be,” is a hamlet planned with a small centrally located commercial and retail area bordered by higher density housing. As you move away from the middle of town, cottage homes and then estate homes are planned.

Food and art will be the focus of the business district. Some people will live in homes above their workspace, much like a traditional downtown neighborhood. “The goal is to have a commercial area that people will drive to, even from outside the area,” explained Nygren. “At the same time, we do not want to negatively impact the residents of the hamlet.”

There are already commitments for a bakery and a café as well as book store and an art gallery. A couple of professional offices for an architect and a few other small businesses have also been secured. A trail system, bed and breakfast, and a community pool are also available.

On the residential side, when completed, 119 units will be located on 224 acres. Nygren says that 32 of the first 40 homes he made available sold quickly - at prices between $190-800,000.

The larger estate houses will be back in the woods on 1/4- to 1/2-acre lots with no lawns in the front and woods in the back providing a country look will range in size from 1800-3500 square-feet.

The cottages will be pulled in closer together and range between 1,200-3,000 sq. ft. Homes are required to have a front porch that is 8-10 ft in width that covers 70% of their front mass.

“We want to generate community,” reveals Nygren, “with totally preserved wooded space in the back.”

Townhomes - each with a spacious 3,000 sq ft layout - will be constructed between the cottage district and the modest business district, varying in price between $300-500,000.

The Live/Work buildings, which will provide approximately 800 sq. ft. per floor, are offered between $250-350,000.

Of Course, Sustainable Buildings
Hedgewood, a national award-winning builder, will construct the cottages, townhomes and live/work spaces. They are also an option for the building of the estate homes along with several other custom homebuilders.

All Hedgewood homes are built to the standards of the EarthCraft™ House Program - a voluntary green building program that is supported by various local associations like the Greater Atlanta Homebuilders Association and Southface.

The EarthCraft House Program follows a point system for the implementation of a wide variety of environmental and energy innovations.

Southface, which is a nonprofit organization providing environmental education and outreach programs, including training for builders and developers desiring to design and construct in an environmentally friendly manner. Building to EarthCraft Homes and EarthCraft Communities standards is a way of ensuring sustainable development. Southface has been recognized for excellence by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American Institute of Architects, American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, Georgia Environmental Council, Earth Share of Georgia and numerous other industry and community organizations. SLDT