The story of Bouckaert farms

“With the continuous influx of industry and over 200 new residents arriving daily, Atlanta is a metropolis on the move with an estimated population of 8.3 million by 2040. 

Life is moving so fast; living the lives we want is rapidly grinding to a halt. We spend our hours rushing to wait in congestion, surrounded by blinkers and horns, concrete and cubicles. Sodium and stress are wiping the smiles from the face of our tomorrows. Progress is outpacing peace of mind.

Happiness is where we want to be. There is a place that offers a better way of getting there. A place where the journey is the destination.

Atlanta’s final frontier is 8,000 acres, hidden just 20 minutes from the world’s busiest airport — a commute taking approximately 1/10 of the time it takes to casually stroll the property’s 10 miles of Chattahoochee riverfront. 

Bouckaert Farms. 

So very far from everywhere. So very close to anywhere.”

A way in the life of Bouckaert Farms.

Bouckaert way is not an address, it’s a way of life. It’s more than location, location, location – it’s motivation to live where and how you choose. We believe where you live is how you live and how you live is where you live. Bouckaert is not the best of both worlds, it’s the best of a better world.

Daybreak over the 8,000-acre farm reveals Mother Nature’s imagination. The land has a gentle roll, vast meadows and creeks. Trees and tranquility. A river. It is a utopia for those on a quest for quiet. Those that crave to be interrupted only by the flutter of waving leaves or the flight of songbirds. Bouckaert is a place to be alone with your thoughts and dreams; a place of shared values for the environment and living a better life. A place to pitch in and take care of the land that takes care of you and yours. A place to live, learn, and love. On your terms. 

Bouckaert way is not an address, it’s a way of life.

On the front porches of the farmettes you will find lifelong friends speaking without having to saying a word. Next door, a French industrialist that traveled 5,000 miles from home, to find home, watches the sun playing hide and seek with crimson clouds. Just around the corner and over a footbridge, farm fresh eggs, rosemary, and heirloom tomatoes will travel from the backyard to a hand-hewn, dinner table constructed of rescued wood from a 1930s Sea Island fishing skiff. There, conversations will be informed and global. There, conversations will applaud the parental skills of the bald eagle raising her young atop the tallest tree on the western most part of the farm. There, conversations will be laughter, led by a barefoot seven-year-old answering bullfrogs.

Before we developed the storylines, we did significant research. Interviews, land surveys, coffee meetings, walk-a-mile immersion, map gathering, codes and compliance, you name it - it took time to get our collective arms around Carl’s 8,000 acre property.

With greenfield developments of this size, drone footage is key to understand the natural environment and its opportunities. Our team created this Topographic Canvas so the extended team could visually plot the characteristics of the land and river.

Then we tapped dozens of subject matter experts to join us at our 5 day long Charrette at the Horse Mansion on the Farm. Parks and recreation, access and mobility, sustainability and regeneration, emerged as key themes that need to be addressed.

The Charrette was a community celebration of sorts. Dozens of citizens, experts, placemakers, industry leaders, and even Governor Deal all were welcomed and played a role in crafting a Conceptual Master Plan. Along with the master planning with placemakers, we started our placebranding thesis which included the story, characters, truths, initiatives and sources of greatness.

The final Master Plan is a unique assemblage of creative and critical thinking from countless companies and individuals. With plan in hand, the once-in-a-generation opportunity is digestible by all and the puzzle parts illustrate how this tract of land can become an extraordinary preserve for generations to come.