North of Atlanta, 'farmstead' project emerges as homebuyer magnet

City slickers itchin’ to get their hayseed on might wanna take note.

Promising “farmstead living for modern world pioneers,” a project called Sanctuaire Farms spread across 461 acres in Cherokee County expects to break ground in coming months and capitalize on a post-COVID trend of homebuyers seeking to literally get back to their roots.

According to The Folia Group, a longtime homebuilder in Atlanta’s northern suburbs, the concept has proven an immediate hit. Company CEO Rob Beecham recently said the “interest and enthusiasm has been incredible.” (The developer is also building a project under the Sanctuaire brand in downtown Canton.) 

Described as a master-planned, agri-community with unique amenities, Sanctuaire Farms is set to take shape five miles east of Ball Ground and Interstate 75, roughly an hour north of Atlanta. Its acreage is about the size of Piedmont Park and Chastain Park combined, bordered on one side by the 200-acre McGraw Ford Wildlife Management Area.

The finalized plat for Sanctuaire Farms was unveiled during a July 20 event, during which a source tells Urbanize Atlanta about half of the available plots were sold.

Today more than 30 lots of 55 total have been claimed, sellers with Ansley Real Estate, Christie’s International Real Estate, and The Shirley Gary Group report

Smaller farmsteads are starting in the $250,000s, and plot sizes range between 5 and more than 20 acres. (A selling point is the privacy of big lots, with the security of a gated community with a smattering of neighbors, per project heads.) 

Per-acre pricing starts at $52,000 for smaller lots and drops to $42,000 for those with 10 or more acres.

What sets the project apart—and is enticing buyers into Sanctuaire Farms instead of setting out pioneer-style and starting small farms of their own—is a section called The Grange Community Farm, according to The Folia Group.

That’s where an orchard, greenhouse, community garden, schoolhouse, and “art house” will be located, alongside educational options where residents can learn to raise livestock, farm, and properly garden. The Grange area is also where a subscription system for vegetables, dairy, beef, poultry, and pork will be managed.

Facilities at The Grange will host special events, celebrations, and other gatherings such as farm-to-table dinners and cookouts, according to project officials. (Just don’t expect a lavish saltwater pool and dog spa, per blueprints.)

An onsite team is expected to help residents get started (and their hands dirty) with tasks such as milking cows and planting gardens. In that way—minus the livestock, and on a smaller scale—the concept echoes the Pendergrast Farm project that's taking shape in northeast Atlanta.

Chad Davis, a Realtor with Ansley Real Estate, told the Cherokee Tribune buyers will be asked to choose from a list of four or five approved, local homebuilders to ensure consistency, with a minimum of 1,000 square feet required. Buyers will also be required to build on their chosen lot within two years.

Home construction is expected to start in November, with the first closings scheduled for next spring.

“At Sanctuaire Farms,” Smith said in a recent announcement, “kids can ride horses, get their hands dirty in the garden, explore the natural world, and let their imaginations run free as they play outdoors with their friends.”

The Sanctuaire Farms’ Walk Score is sure to land around 0, obviously; but as project leaders note, the wonders of the North Georgia Mountains and weekend getaways in Chattanooga are short drives away.

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• Images: Cumming pretty much nailed its new city center (Urbanize Atlanta)