Tributary at New Manchester—Learn about Tributary—A great West Atlanta community...

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Tributary at New Manchester—A Great West Atlanta Development

Tributary is a west Atlanta development that is located in Douglas County—just west of the Atlanta City limits and just north of the Chattahoochee River.  It is located off of Riverside Parkway between Thornton Road and Fairburn Road.

Tributary is minutes from the Fulton Industrial Area (one of the largest warehouse and distribution areas in the Southeast) and is near the I-20 Freeway which connects to all of the major interstate highways in metro Atlanta.

Amenities include a Village Activity Center with pool and basketball courts, beautiful landscaping and a walking trail (New Manchester Trail system), Ponds with spouting water and beautiful landscaping and many other amenities. 

There are also retail villages and office villages planned—however with the market downturn in 2008 the development has been slowed in many respects.  However OZ Pizza is one of only a few tenants in the Village Center at this time.

Tributary is a fairly new development—about 8 years old (2005) if my memory serves me correctly and was named community of the year in 2009 by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association. 

There are still a large number of lots available at Tributary and there are various price points with homes now on the market (October 2013) beginning at around $200,000 to upward of $400,000 (mainly owner occupied resale homes) with an average price around $240,000.

  
Custom Homes were planned for the community and they were planned to be offered from several hundred thousand to 1 million plus.

Tributary  is a sprawling development that goes for miles and encompasses both sides of Riverside Parkway.

  

Even though it is sprawling the development is well thought out and well planned with a neighborhood feel at the forefront!

Tributary is located in Douglas County and encompasses the city limits of Lithia Springs and Douglasville (Atlanta Suburbs)—and the schools are Lithia Springs Elementary, Factory Shoals Middle, New Manchester High—and possibly others—as zoning may have changed. 

You can go to the following links to learn more about schools in the Tributary area:

Georgia Education Report Website

Greatschools.com

For those who like the outdoors and a community feel this subdivision might be for you.

Tributary has a number of parks, hiking trails, a full community gym, basketball, bocce, horseshoes, 3 pools, 3 dog parks, 4 tennis courts and a technology focus as evidenced by Home Owners Association Dues that include (at the time of the development)  cable, internet and phone service.  However, that may have changed at this point. 

Be sure to inquire about what the HOA dues cover prior to placing an offer if you are seriously considering this area.

HOA dues are on average less than $200 per month and with the Earthcraft Design your energy costs would also be lower than that of a similar sized home in the same area.

Also included are:

• Neighborhood activity centers offer a variety of facilities such as fitness centers, swimming pools, clubhouses, basketball courts, and playgrounds.  The first two have opened in the Village and River Banks neighborhoods. 

• Community recreation centers include a 16-court tennis center with clubhouse and pro shop and sports fields.

•  Neighborhood parks include contemplative areas, dog parks, and playgrounds as well as several out-of-the-ordinary parks such as bocce ball and a skate park where tweens and teens can show their stuff.   There is a neighborhood park within a seven-minute walk of every home—one for every 50 to 75 homes.

•  A mountain biking trail by professional trail designer Mike Riter is one of the only dedicated trails in a residential community in the U.S.  The rigorous three-mile course presents a 30-minute challenge to experienced bikers and a 90-minute training exercise for beginners, rewarding both with dramatic views of Sweetwater Creek State Park.

• An outdoor adventure center, to be built overlooking Sweetwater Creek, will serve as the jumping off point for hiking, fishing, camping, canoeing, and other activities.

• There are a number of smaller subdivisions within the Tributary development as well as a number of townhouses within the development.  The Garden Hill section has no homes built as of yet due to the real estate market downturn of 2008.
  
  
  Homes in Tributary are Earthcraft Certified and the green space in and around Tributary is beautiful—plus the development backs up to a state park (Sweetwater Creek State Park) with hiking trails.
  
  
  

Tributary is a  community that is designed for interaction among homeowners and those who like to interact will find it at Tributary.

There are many activities in Tributary that are designed to foster more interaction among homeowners. 

The Tributary master plan takes a unique approach to recreation, dispersing opportunities throughout the community to make them more accessible to all residents rather than concentrating them all in one central area.

All recreational amenities are open to all residents. A full-time activities director and staff orchestrate a stream of community events.

Unlike many metro Atlanta developments Tributary was not built in a fast-paced clustered manner as the community is well planned and you can see that by the fact that they built the development near an adjacent state park (Sweetwater Creek) to the north—and the Chattahoochee River to the south.

Keep in mind that the market slowdown that occurred in the housing industry has affected the development at Tributary—so if you are considering moving to Tributary or any community that has incomplete development you must understand what you are getting into on the front end.

Be sure to realize that the scattered development where there are so many empty lots and surrounding areas that are undeveloped—that will more than likely rebound and start up again once the housing market improves will affect your resale value.

If you plan on staying put in Tributary for a number of years (so that you could give the market time to rebound some due to the empty lots there and surrounding undeveloped areas which would make it very tough to compete against newer and probably lower priced homes) purchasing a home in the Tributary community could be a great value. 

 

Tributary offers the following:

• Wide, tree-lined sidewalks.
  
• Traditional American architecture.
  
• Comfortable, affordable living.
  
• Tributary is a beautiful, traditional community based on authentic, pre-1940s-style architecture with a strict attention to detail.

Other features include:

• Front porches  and verandas which are located close to the street, thus encouraging socialization among neighbors
  
• Five-foot-wide sidewalks which facilitate community-wide walking.
• Tree-lined streets and lighted avenues which provide security, comfort and shade.
•  Village greens, parks and recreation for plenty of community relaxation, socialization and outdoor fun.
• A beautiful array of early 20th century architecture which offers a nostalgic type feeling
  
• Energy-efficient, environmentally friendly homes—all homes are Earthcraft House-certified.
• A wide variety of housing options to attract a diverse community with different needs and budgets.

Nearby Shopping & Dining:

Tributary offers its residents a quiet, small-town atmosphere, yet is less than 20 minutes (Interstate 20) from downtown Atlanta, the airport and  the Vinings/Galleria Mall area.

Tack on another 20 minutes and you are in the Midtown, Buckhead and Georgia Tech area—if you were to desire a night out in Atlanta. 

Shopping and dining out at Arbor Place Mall (also has an 18-screen movie theater) in nearby Douglasville is only a short drive away.

For those who like the outdoors you would enjoy Tributary’s devotion to the outdoors.  A run in the park, basketball, tennis, walking or hiking the trails, biking or walking is just minutes outside of your front door.

Other outdoor amenities in Tributary include:

Tributary has a number of playgrounds, a skate park, an off-the-leash dog park, a bocce park, a  Founders Park—a gathering place for picnics, concerts, movies and community functions—and  Neighborhood Activity Centers with swimming pools, a basketball and tennis court, an athletic field complex and a private mountain-biking trail. 

Beautiful tree-lined, five-foot-wide sidewalks, an extensive trail system which leads to Sweetwater Creek State Park, a 2,500-acre park with wooded trails, picnic areas, fishing docks, historic sites and the 215-acre Sparks Reservoir are also in this development.

In addition, future plans for Tributary include a Village Center, which will include approximately 500,000 square feet of commercial, retail and mixed-use development.

Tributary offers a beautiful array of pre-constructed townhome and single-family homes, as well as home sites for custom homes at various price points.

The three communities within Tributary include:

1) The Village at Tributary – This community offers single-family, detached homes and townhomes with alley-fed, rear-entry garages.

Homes in this community are priced from the low $200,000s to $2 million.

2) River Banks at Tributary – This community offers a more traditional, suburban feel with single-family homes featuring front- or side-entry garages and larger lots.

Homes in this community are priced from the mid $200,000s to the low $500,000s.

3) Custom Homes at Tributary – This community offers custom home sites for custom homes.

For those who are not yet ready to dive into home ownership Tributary offers beautiful apartment homes (Avonlea at Tributary) in a serene, wooded and peaceful environment—where you can enjoy the amenities without the duties that home ownership entails.

Where is Tributary Located?

Tributary’s location along Interstate 20 just eight miles west of Interstate 285 places it within 20 minutes of downtown Atlanta, 15 minutes of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and 30 minutes of three of Atlanta's other major employment centers.

Bordered by the Chattahoochee River on the south and Sweetwater Creek State Park on the north and bisected by Sweetwater Creek itself—Tributary offers countless opportunities for nature activities. 

Several streams run around and through the property.  Its rugged terrain is heavily forested. 

Ridgetops afford views of the Sweetwater Creek Basin, wooded conservation areas, and the downtown Atlanta skyline.

At 2,500 acres, Sweetwater Creek State Park is home to the 215-acre George Sparks Reservoir, a popular site for fishing, canoeing, and kayaking. 

Sweetwater Creek itself includes a four-mile run of rapids that bump up to class 5.

 
There are fishing docks, playgrounds, picnic sites, and nine miles of woodland trails that wind along streams and past the Civil War ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company's textile mills, then climb rocky bluffs to provide views of the creek's shoals.

All trails are interconnected throughout Tributary.

Prior to the start of development, Tributary ownership donated 500 acres of the site to Sweetwater Creek State Park (bringing the park’s total acreage to the current 2,500) and 13 historic sites on the property to a trust created and managed by the City of Douglasville.

The Goal of this Development:

The size (1,475-acre mixed use development that is 20 miles from downtown Atlanta) of the Tributary site allows for a truly mixed-use master plan integrating and interconnecting a range of residential neighborhoods, a village center with boutique retailers, a town center for national retailers, a supermarket-anchored community center, and a park of commerce with mid-rise office buildings.

Residential: Tributary is planned to have metro Atlanta's largest concentration of home sites developed within the village concept. 

A substantial portion of the home designs will reflect the classic architecture of America's great neighborhoods. 

Other portions will reflect a more contemporary architectural style and neighborhood atmosphere.

Village Center, at completion, Tributary could have nearly 500,000 square feet of commercial space in a 65-acre Village Center, the first phase of which is currently under construction. 

Plans call for a walkable Main Street lined with retail shops, an area that will accommodate a supermarket and a “big box” retailer, office space, and approximately 400 residential units.

The Tributary Park of Commerce, where the Red Cross of America has opened its new LEED-certified regional headquarters, will feature up to 1.5 million square feet of low- and mid-rise office buildings.

The variety of housing types and the largest residential component is the Village, where single-family, detached homes are priced from the mid-$200’s to more than $1 million.

Townhomes in the Village are priced from the low-$200’s.

In addition, there are “Park Court” homes that front enclosed parks rather than streets, a configuration ideal for parents of young children.

“River Homes” feature more typical suburban designs with front or side-entry garages on larger home sites, many on cul-de-sacs and built on basements, and priced from the mid-$200’s to the $500’s.

“Ridge Homes” are custom homes on estate-sized sites.  Many afford dramatic ridgetop views.

The Village is pedestrian-oriented.  Almost all homes (except those on the perimeter of the property) feature alley-fed garages so streetscapes showcase the people spaces of homes rather than auto spaces. 

All homes feature usable “rocking chair” front porches that has the goal of introducing residents to their neighbors.  All are built on elevated pads that create a 24-inch pedestal on which the home rests. 

The three-tiered streetscape rises from the street to tree-lined sidewalks to front porch.

Individual landscaping lightly separates the public space of the sidewalk from the private space of the porch.

Like intown neighborhoods, Village homes are not price-segregated.  They look right together even when a $200,000 home sits right beside a $500,000 home. 

Each elevation is based on a photo of an actual pre-1940s home submitted by its builder to the town architect.

From year one Tributary has established itself as one of the most intriguing new home communities in the metro Atlanta area, and is one of the best-selling in its price range, a position it has held despite the recent softening of the Atlanta housing market.

Earthcraft Construction & Greenspace

Many consumers want to lower the operating expense of their home, add to its value, and create a healthier living environment for their families—Tributary answers those concerns.

Tributary represents the largest commitment to green building in Atlanta and one of the largest in America.

All of its nearly 3,000 homes—single-family detached, townhomes, and multi-family are being built to the exacting specifications of the EarthCraft House™ program of the Southface Energy Institute and the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association.

EarthCraft House is a voluntary builder program dedicated to energy-efficient and environmentally friendly home design and construction. 

EarthCraft House-certified builders must meet the program's stringent requirements in heating/ventilation/air conditioning systems, ductwork, attic insulation, erosion control, exterior cladding, and window and door openings, among others.

Although builders have flexibility in selecting the EarthCraft approaches best suited to their homes, they must submit a worksheet stating which measures they plan to incorporate.

These include but are not limited to site planning, energy-efficient building envelope and systems, energy-efficient appliances and lighting, resource-efficient design and building materials, waste management, indoor air quality, and efficient indoor water use.

The worksheet is detailed and must be verified by an EarthCraft House inspector.

Tree-lined, five-foot sidewalks grace both sides of every street in every neighborhood. They shape community fellowship by linking residents to each other and to recreational amenities and gathering places.

More than 35 percent of Tributary's 1,475 acres will be dedicated to green space and recreation. 

Recreation: Nature, Fitness, Athletics & Extreme Sports  

Neighborhood activity centers offer a variety of facilities such as fitness centers, swimming pools, clubhouses, basketball courts, and playgrounds.  The first two have opened in the Village and River Banks neighborhoods.

Community recreation centers include a 16-court tennis center with clubhouse and pro shop and sports fields.

Neighborhood parks include contemplative areas, dog parks, and playgrounds as well as several out-of-the-ordinary parks such as bocce ball and a skate park where "tweens" and teens can show their stuff.   There is a neighborhood park within a seven-minute walk of every home—one for every 50 to 75 homes.

 A mountain biking trail by professional trail designer Mike Riter is one of the only dedicated trails in a residential community in the U.S.  The rigorous three-mile course presents a 30-minute challenge to experienced bikers and a 90-minute training exercise for beginners, rewarding both with dramatic views of Sweetwater Creek State Park.

An outdoor adventure center, to be built overlooking Sweetwater Creek, will serve as the jumping off point for hiking, fishing, camping, canoeing, and more.

Taken as a Whole—Tributary is a Great West Atlanta Community

Tributary is one of the most forward thinking developments in Atlanta and there continued success will depend on market conditions and consumers embracing this daring approach to living.

Tributary is a community worth visiting if you are considering moving to the West Atlanta Metro area. 

Be sure to put this development on your list of subdivisions to visit if you are of the opinion that the amenities and lifestyle that it offers is of great appeal to you and your family—as Tributary is a great west Atlanta development.

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