Dawn McGriff looks back at her life a decade ago and admits that what she felt was disconnected. It bothered her that she couldn’t find a comfortable place, one that allowed her time to herself, time to share with others, time to think.
The only thing to do, she decided, was to build it, and that’s what she’s doing.
McGriff, 41, was a corporate executive with an Atlanta technology company, but was drawn more and more to an undeveloped 110 acres of land that had been in her family for years. The land was hard beside the Tennessee River five miles outside of Pisgah, Ala., and outfitted with some of the finest views in the state.
She found herself searching for excuses to take a picnic to the bluff that overlooks the river, to share it with friends and go home with a vision of it in her mind.
Because McGriff grew up going to ballet, theater, concerts, art shows and museums, why not, she thought, create a town centered around the arts? Why not build a throwback to the days when everything revolved around the town center and people walked the comfortable sidewalks and chatted and shared something in common?
McGriff’s father, Bill, a certified public accountant, sold his firm in Albertville, Ala., and now shares his daughter’s dream of creating a town that embraces all things artistic on that 110-acre plot.
A decade later, McGriff’s folly is set to take off. The infrastructure of the town is built, including a main street; six-bedroom inn; seven administrative buildings, which include a post office, sales office and operations center; an amphitheater; meeting hall; and 25 privately owned homes.
The McGriff family has put more than $2.5 million into the development, not counting the cost of the land. They hired a private contractor to put in sewers, roads and a water system supplied by the north Jackson County, Ala., water authority.
Bill McGriff recently bought Pisgah High School, which he attended and was scheduled to be razed, and moved it to the property. It will become a building for classes and artists’ studios.
Gorham’s Bluff has not yet been incorporated, because it must have 300 residents to be a real city.
“I’ve heard what we’re doing called new urbanism and tradition neighborhood development,” said Dawn McGriff. “I admit that some of the ideas came from other places, like Seaside, Fla., and Chautauqua, N.Y.”
The town planner, Steve Mouzon of Huntsville, says the architecture is indigenous to the region and mixes in some Greek revival, Federal and simple Victorian. Mouzon has been a student and proponent of new urbanism theories his entire career. Since he started Gorham’s Bluff, it has catapulted him into designing town plans for Montgomery and Huntsville and in the Florida Panhandle.
Although each home builder can submit his own building plan, Mouzon heads up an architectural review board, and the plan must pass muster.
The development has been slow, but that’s changing. “I was running around working on the artistic end of it and kind of forgot about marketing the town, selling lots and homes,” Dawn McGriff said.
And what if the town simply never materializes?
“It’s good now,” McGriff said. “The worst thing would be that we would have a beautiful development with wonderful houses and fantastic neighbors. Whether we would ever go on any kind of county services would be up to the homeowners.”
The developer controls the homeowners association until 75 percent of the existing lots are bought, she said. After that, the rules on how the community would be governed would be up to the homeowners. “They could decide to do whatever they wanted,” she said.
A new marketing campaign is in place, and in the last few weeks, McGriff has 25 new lots under contract and is shooting for 25 more by New Year’s Eve. Her marketing campaign is called “Tipping Point Fifty,” which refers to the number of new homes she feels are needed to tip the town toward reality — sort of a point of no return.
The marketing concept is unusual. If a potential homeowner signs up for one of the 600 lots, a deposit of $2,500 is required. Then the owner has the option of sitting and waiting until the 50th contract is signed before closing the deal. Then construction must begin within 12 months.
“That way, they know it’s going to happen,” McGriff said. “Before, people were hesitant to commit because they weren’t sure the town was going to make it, that it was actually going to get done.”
The lots range from $19,900 for a 35-by-70-foot parcel to $65,000 for a 75-by-100-foot lot. “Most are in the high $30,000s to low $40,000s,” she said.
The first impression of Gorham’s Bluff is of spaciousness, cleanliness and neatness. There are huge green spaces; sidewalks are everywhere. It’s easy to visualize how the town would materialize because the streets with streetlights are already in place.
The initial settlers can’t be categorized. There are second-home owners, full-time residents and those who split their time equally between Gorham’s Bluff and wherever home is. They range in age from 27 to 76.
Of the original 25 homeowners, 10 are full-time residents, 13 are second-home residents, one home is a rental unit owned by the developer, and one home is vacant and on the market.
Owners from Atlanta, about 145 miles south, and Birmingham account for 12 of the 25 houses.
“It’s like living in a painting,” said Betty Jo Bethea, who moved from Fairhope, Ala., with her husband, Rufus. Both say they’re semi-retired. “It’s so beautiful. It was like magic for us. I had always lived on the Gulf Coast, and Rufus was from the mountains. It was perfect for us. I got a letter from a friend who had visited, and she said, `You have obviously found the answer.’ “
Rufus Bethea, 76, says the place was compelling. “We came up here and just felt this was something we ought to do. It looked like Seaside. We have nice neighbors, and it’s very quiet. We go walking on the trails every day.”
Dawn McGriff has recently applied for a loan for improving the amenities of Gorham’s Bluff, such as expanding the existing swimming pool and extending and adding walking trails.
The McGriff family matriarch, Claire McGriff, perhaps puts it in perspective. “I’m drawn to the natural wonder of Gorham’s Bluff and the peace I experience, but I can’t sustain life here alone,” she said. “I need the promise of community — kindred spirits to share the music, art, books, performances and conversation that nurture my spirit.”
Will the town make it? Still too early to tell. Part-time resident David Grace says although he hopes the town succeeds, it’s not necessary for him. “The worst thing is that we’ve got great neighbors and a beautiful house,” he said.
