Hundreds of homes are in the pipeline for McLemore, a redeveloped golf club and resort community atop Lookout Mountain in northwest Georgia.
Roughly a dozen single-family homes have been finished or are starting construction soon as part of a first phase expected to include 350 residences, according to Duane Horton, CEO of Scenic Land Co., the company overseeing development of McLemore.
He anticipates having more than 1,000 homes, nearly all single family, in the community at buildout over the next 12 to 15 years. Home prices now range from $960,000 to more than $4 million.
"People come because of the pictures and stay because of the culture," Horton told Homes.com.
The 1,600-acre McLemore is just south of the city of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and sits on the Lookout Mountain ridge that spans parts of Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.
In 2017, Horton and three partners took control of the failed development, then known as Canyon Ridge. At the time, it had about 70 homes, and the partners have built about 30 so far, he said
Development has two golf courses
They renamed the project McLemore for John McLemore, whose father, Charles, had arrived in the area from Scotland in the 18th century.
The partners renovated and reopened a golf course in 2019 and built a second 18-hole course that opened two months ago. A clubhouse opened in 2020 and a 245-room hotel followed last year.
The development also has a pool and spa, pickleball courts, restaurants and other amenities. A club-managed program rents out homes for part-time residents when they aren't living there.
McLemore is part of the Chattanooga, Tennessee metropolitan area. The region offers plentiful outdoor recreation opportunities and has strong economic drivers, including major employers such as Volkswagen, Amazon and BlueCross BlueShield, according to Toby Jorgensen, senior director of market analytics for Homes.com.
"Financially, Chattanooga stands out for its low cost of living, affordable housing and Tennessee’s absence of state income tax," Jorgensen said.
McLemore is within a two-hour drive from Atlanta, as well as Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee; and Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama.
Overall plans for McLemore call for housing for employees and residents aged 55 and over, estate homes starting at approximately $4 million, a botanical garden and commercial development, including a grocery store, according to Horton.
"Our tagline is 'Above the Clouds,' and we believe the sky's the limit," he said.