Cherokee Real Estate Blog

A 24 hour, 7 days a week hotline has been announced to assist Georgia homeowners avoid foreclosure. The program, called HOPE, will also offer face to face counseling to Georgians who may be at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure. This program announcement comes on the heels of a report that places Atlanta’s 2006 foreclosure total at 63,737 homes, 4.4% of the city’s households, which is 2nd highest in the country among major metro areas.

The hotline phone number is 1-888-995-HOPE (4673)

Breezy Hills Stables, a horse farm which sits on 87.5 acres of pastureland on Main Street in Woodstock, is under contract to be sold to a developer, Traditional Neighborhood Development LLC of Decatur. The owner of the property, Barbara Drinkard, said she could have sold the land many times before. On her decision to sell now, “We wanted someone who would see the development through to the end,” she said. “We wanted the development to be done with good taste and with low impact to the environment. And we’re trusting them to follow through.”

Located just north of downtown Woodstock on highway 5, developers plan to build a new home community called Woodstock Knoll. There will be a little over 300 luxury homes built from three different collections from the developer: the Estates, Executives, and Georgia. Also included in the neighborhood will be:

• a community clubhouse
• outdoor pools
• tennis courts
• playgrounds
• walking trails

When I know more about floor plans, amenities and a construction timeline, I will let you know. If you have any other questions regarding Woodstock real estate, please call me anytime.

The Cherokee County commission voted last week to approve a scaled down plan for Ruby Forest, a 226 acre mixed use development in the Hickory Flat area near Ga. 140. The developers originally had planned for Ruby Forest to contain 376 homes with a mix of single family and townhomes. However, the new plans call for only 135 homes.

In a vote of 5-4 the Cherokee County Planning Commission rejected the large subdivision, A Village In The Forest, that developer Stephen Macauley has planned to develop in Canton.

Even though the developer plans to donate land for 6 new schools and a water treatment system, Commission Chairman, Rob Cutting said of the proposed 12,000 home mixed use development, “It’s a generous contribution, but I find it deficient”. In an earlier report the Atlanta Regional Commission praised the project, but gave some stipulations of reducing the number of homes from 12,000 to 8,000.

The developer still hopes that the Cherokee Board of Commissioners feels differently about his project on December 19th as the board meets for the last time before the new Chairman starts office.

The Macauley project, also known as the Willoughby-Sewell property, received some favorable news last week. The Atlanta Regional Commission gave a recommendation of approval for the development. Some of the next few steps are for the Cherokee County Commission to approve the mixed use development, as well as another ARC board vote and a Georgia Regional Transportation Authority review.

The 10th annual Holiday Tour of Homes, sponsored by the Junior Service League of Woodstock, will take place this weekend. The event will be on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 5:00, and tickets are $15.

Featured homes and decorators this year are:

• The Roopas Home, The Summit at BridgeMill, designer Aimee Parscale. A home designed for the entertainer at heart.
• The Tillar Home, The Pinnacle at BridgeMill, designer Brad Myer. Tons of stacked stone and an outdoor kitchen.
• The Johnson Home, The Estates at Towne Lake, designer Interior Illusions. The home completely surrounds a courtyard, Tuscan Village style.
• The Mummert Home, Towne Lake Hills North, designer Designing Women. 4 stories of all kinds of amenities and features.
• The Blight Home, Olde Towne Woodstock, designer Christine’s Creations. A historic landmark with 4 working fireplaces.

For more information, call 770-592-3535 or see www.jslwoodstock.org.

Martha Stewart and KB Home announced that they are planning to build a new community in Woodstock. They will call it Wynchase and it should be ready for new residents in the Spring of 2007. Prices will start in the high $200,000’s and the homes should be between 2,700 and 3,800 square feet in approximate size. When completed there will be 183 homes in Wynchase.

This is the 2nd KB Home / Martha Stewart community in metro Atlanta as Hampton Oaks opened in Fairburn in July 2006.

Woodstock’s most talked about real estate project in a long time, Woodstock Downtown, may soon be growing. Hedgewood Properties, the developers of the 32 acre, $75 million dollar Woodstock Downtown have purchased nearly 30 acres across the street. Their plan is to develop a large mixed use development called Woodstock West.

While no site plan has been submitted yet, and a rezoning vote has to be passed, here are a few elements of the proposed development.

• A large multi family building similar to the one across the street in Woodstock Downtown
• A grocery store
• A general merchandise store
• A grid street network to help with traffic along Towne Lake Parkway, Arnold Mill, and Noonday Street
• Inclusion of better sidewalks, streetscapes and parking

I’m quite sure that there are more questions than answers right now about Woodstock West and how it fits into the Woodstock real estate picture. As soon as I know more, I will post the information here. You can always use the contact form to contact me with any specific questions or leave comments here.

Carmichael Farms is a new equestrian community located in East Cherokee County at the intersection of East Cherokee Drive and Union Hill Road. The community sits on 340 acres with hills, streams and pastures with over 1/3 of the acreage set aside for open space. When completed, Carmichael Farms will be comprised of 332 homes priced from the $400,000’s to a bit over the $700,000’s. Lot sizes will range from just over a 1/3 of an acre to over an acre.

Two extremely unique amenities within Carmichael Farms will be the Paint Horse Equestrian Center and The Village Square. Take a look at some information about the equestrian center, which will be located at the entrance of the community:

• Full boarding facility with 24 stalls
• Hay barn
• Two riding arenas
• Trails, paddocks and a large grazing field
• And it will be professionally managed and staffed

The Village Square will be the social center of the community and will have the following amenities:

• 4 lighted tennis courts
• Junior Olympic pool
• Kid’s play area
• Event Lawn with a cutting garden
• The Avery House - a farmhouse that will house a gathering hall, meeting rooms, a large kitchen, toddler’s playroom and a fitness center

Please call me if you would like more information about Carmichael Farms or any other new real estate development in Canton. You can use the contact page to find many ways to reach me.