A 128-home development meant to unite residents with nature is slowly taking shape in the north Georgia mountains about 90 minutes outside Atlanta.
Burton, to be built over the next seven to 10 years in Clarksville, Georgia, is next to Lake Burton and its 1,200 residences. Burton owners will have a mile of shoreline for private trout fishing as well as hiking and biking trails within Chattahoochee National Forest.
"It's an intimate mountain community connected to the lake," developer Bill Lynch of Peachtree City, Georgia-based Pace Lynch said in an interview.
The development team includes master planning and design firm Lew Oliver Inc. and garden and landscape designer P. Allen Smith. Burton is about 95 miles northeast of Atlanta.
The first batch of homes consists of 17 lots, with the first four homes occupied. A move-in ready home is for sale, with remaining lots due to be released soon. Burton prices range from just under $1 million to more than $4 million, according to Lynch.
Given the topography and custom building involved, each home takes about a year to complete, Lynch noted.
Pandemic created demand
Burton was borne out of the pandemic, when buyers snapped up many of the Lake Burton homes for sale, according to Lynch. He said the Burton team identified the last plot of land on the lake for a new development with homes that would be more attainable than those at Lake Burton.
"It's filling a missing gap of homes with lake connectivity and prices that are not available for new construction," he said.
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Other amenities at Burton include a day spa, heated pool, hot tub, a 10-slip marina and access to the adjacent LaPrade's Marina and its three restaurants and two bars. Lake Burton resident and former Alabama football coach Nick Saban is a frequent visitor to the marina, according to reports.
The homes at Burton are green-building certified and come with geothermal heating and cooling system, according to the developers.
Most of the Lake Burton homeowners lease their lots from Georgia Power, owner of the lake, but the new Burton development allows residents to own their homes and the lots, Lynch said.
Burton is mostly a second-home development for residents on vacation, but gigabit fiber internet connectivity also allows for remote work.
"We want our residents to feel like they can if they want," Lynch said.