It seems sporting clays are the
new putting greens. Blalock Lakes, one of metro Atlanta’s few new gated
subdivisions, has been designed not around a golf course but around a
shooting club. Other planned amenities include fishing lakes, hiking
trails, campsites, a bird-hunting course, stables, and, of course, swim
and tennis. “It’s all about the outdoors,” says project manager Jeff
Quinn, a senior vice president with developer Cousins Properties. “We
felt the best way to showcase the environment was to leave it more in
its natural setting.”
The 3,000-acre community, located near Newnan, has only 399 homesites on
lots as large as forty acres. Quinn says early interest indicates a mix
of primary and weekend residents. Lots start in the low $100s and
houses in the mid $500s. Blalock Lakes has offered some recent pricing
incentives, but Quinn believes the anemic economy makes people even more
appreciative of a community centered on family time. “After enjoying
the club’s outdoor activities, the response of first-time visitors is
often a kind of ‘aha’ moment,” Quinn says. “They often say, ‘Boy, we
need to do more things like this.’” See blalocklakes.com.
Photograph
copyright Jay Thomas, 2007