It may be a small residential development by most standards, but due to its location adjacent to downtown Senoia, the construction of six new homes on the Gin Property is significant.
Of the six new homes, five will be located on Lower Creek Trail immediately to the west of the brownstones, one of which was the Southern Living Magazine “2010 Idea House.” The sixth home will be located on Morgan Street, immediately south of the brownstones and adjacent to Southern Living’s “2012 Idea House.”
Developer Scott Tigchelaar said the styles are consistent with the examples of classical southern architecture already present in Senoia. Peachtree City-based Historical Concepts created a pattern book for the Gin Property which defines these styles and their key architectural elements to be included in new construction, he said.
Two of the six homes are pre-sales while the remaining four are being built as spec homes by Atlanta-based FrontPorch Custom Homes and Renovations.
FrontPorch principal Kelly Lee said her company’s four homes will range from 2,700-3,000 square feet and will be marketed in the low- to high-$500,000 range.
“All of the homes finishes will be thoughtfully selected by an interior design from the Insidesign team. The plans will all be part of the Southern Living collection and the architects that have designed the homes are all notable architects,” Lee said.
Lee said construction will begin in November with an anticipated completion in April.
Commenting on why her Atlanta development firm chose Senoia for the project, Lee said, “The Gin Property offers the building principles and values that we strive to achieve. That is, building homes that aesthetically belong where they are and the design is well thought-out, focusing on the way people live in their homes and the lifestyle they enjoy. We believe that this enhances peoples’ quality of life and strengthens their sense of community. The Gin Property is a walkable community offering amenities to its residents that create an intown living appeal blended with a small town feel creating that strong sense of community. FrontPorch aligns with the principles of the community, the architects involved and the developer Scott Tigchelaar.”
Whether Tigchelaar or FrontPorch, why build now?
“In the last six to eight weeks the market has really popped,” Tigchelaar said. “People are asking questions and are ready to invest. We’re not having problems with appraisals and we have no debt. So we decided to wait on the market.”
The new homes on the Gin Property will be in addition to the three previously completed and sold.
As for the future, Tigchelaar said there are currently 14 single-family lots remaining on the 10-acre Gin Property which can be outfitted with different types of homes, such as single-family detached homes, cottage homes and estate homes. There is also space for additional brownstones, live-work homes and a boutique hotel.
The Gin Property was purchased in 2007. The first brownstones were built in succeeding years, but the Great Recession came with a shift in emphasis to commercial ventures in the downtown area.
“We started focusing on Main Street to do commercial work then moved to the residential,” Tigchelaar said.
But it was during the transition to commercial work that Senoia defied the recession. The efforts of numerous business owners, the city and the Downtown Development Authority resulted in the seven businesses open on Main Street in 2007 swelling to 50 businesses by early 2013.
For more information on the homes at the Gin Property contact Scott Barnett with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty at 404-583-3313.
