What’s an Agrihood?

Thanks to Ross Chapin Architects for allowing the use of photos depicting communities and houses designed by their company.  These photos communicate the vision of the Sweetgrass community.

What’s an Agrihood?  It’s another word for a Farm-to-Table community.

Agrihoods are cropping up all over the U S. “I hear from developers all the time about this”, said Ed McMahon, a senior fellow for sustainable development at the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit real estate research group in Washington DC. They have figured out that unlike a golf course, which costs millions to build and millions to maintain, they can provide green space that actually earns a profit. Not to mention a potential tax break for preserving agricultural land. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/dining/farm-to-table-living-takes-root.html

One of the first agrihoods created was Serenbe, established on farm land near Atlanta. serenbe.com.  Serenbe holds back suburban sprawl and provides a community in the countryside, complete with organic vegetable garden, for its residents. Walking trails connect the three hamlets or villages. Neighborliness is encouraged by the requirement that all homes have a wide front porch. All neighborhoods have sidewalks. Residents gather at the Farm Stand on Saturday morning to visit with each other and to buy fresh produce from the garden. Most residents rely on Ashley, the farmer, to grow their vegetables. Some volunteers work in the garden and many neighborhood children “assist” Ashley in her work. www.cbsnews.com/news/home-grown-moving-next-to-the-farm.

Agritopia, a large community near Phoenix, is another one of the growing number of agrihoods. A working farm is the central feature, where in some communities the neighborhood might cluster around a golf course, pool or fitness center. Sixteen of Agritopia’s 160 acres are certified organic farmland, with row crops, fruit trees and livestock. Fences gripped by grapevines and blackberry bushes separate the farm from the community’s 452 single family homes, each with a wide front porch and sidewalks close enough to encourage conversation. An assisted-and-independent living center was opened recently.

https://nyti.ms/1iwTe0G Farm-to-Table Living Takes Root

“As a developer it’s been humbling that such a simple thing and such an inexpensive thing is the most loved amenity”, said Brent Herrington, who oversaw the building of Kukuiula in Hawaii for the developer DMB Associates. “We spend $100 million on a clubhouse, but residents, first day on the island, go to the farm to get flowers, fruits and vegetables.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/dining/farm-to-table-living-takes-root.html

The Sweetgrass vision is a farm-to-table community– with a purpose.  Our vision is for everyone to live in a welcoming community like Sweetgrass.

Thanks to Ross Chapin Architects for allowing the use of photos depicting communities and houses designed by their company.  These photos communicate the vision of the Sweetgrass community.