As numerous developers know, one of the most utilized amenities in master-planned communities is walking trails. But what if on their daily dog walks residents could stop at the neighborhood farm stand to pick up fresh strawberries for their morning smoothie? What if they could return later that night to gather with neighbors for a summer harvest dinner? And what if their children could stop after school to learn more about how vegetables grow?
Farm amenities within agrihoods—a type of planned community that seamlessly blends agriculture and residential development—have seen substantial momentum in the past few years. Although the concept isn’t completely new, several pioneering developers are now beyond the planning and construction phases and actively managing projects with working farms.
“I think there really is a kind of magic to farms,” says Justin Myers, chief operating officer at Agmenity, a company dedicated to helping with agricultural amenities. “They can be really powerful and influence day-to-day life, from the physical health of having fresh food to the mental, emotional, and spiritual side of things.”
Unlike other master plan amenities, farms offer proven financial, health, social, and environmental benefits. The downside is they can be difficult to implement.
“It’s also not easy,” continues Myers. “It’s not like a pool and just like a plug and play. Each farm will be unique based on the location, site constraints and issues, and the seasonal variations.”
But as more agrihoods continue to sprout up across the country, developers have overcome hurdles, learned some lessons, and refined their visions to create these vibrant and beneficial communities that offer a unique blend of sustainable farming and neighborly connection.
Fresh Models
“Agrihoods come in all different shapes and sizes,” says John Darby, CEO and president of The Beach Co.
At their smallest, they can include an acre or two dedicated to seasonal produce. At their largest, features can include farm stands, areas for large livestock, goat pens, chicken coops, beehives, vineyards, orchards, olive groves, and flower fields.
At Kiawah River, a 2,000-acre, award-winning master plan in Johns Island, South Carolina, agriculture was part of its past. When it came time for local developer The Beach Co. to start building out the community, the team decided to embrace the existing farmlands and incorporated more than 100 acres of working farm into the 1,000-homesite neighborhood.
Today, Kiawah River grows an array of crops, takes care of both goats and cattle, and harvests honey from beehives. Residents of the community are eligible to participate in the Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) program, a subscription to receive weekly deliveries from the farm’s harvests.
“Most recently, we opened up Rosebank, which is a farm stand right at the entrance, and people come from all over and can buy the product,” says Darby. “The Goatery is an additional attraction. Ultimately, what it does is it brings people from all over the region to our front door.”
Johnson Development Corp.’s Harvest Green community in Richmond, Texas, with 2,600 planned residential units, is another on-the-ground agrihood model. Its Village Farm is a 12-acre interactive agricultural amenity and encompasses fields, a greenhouse, goats and chickens, and a terrace for hosting events.
Residents can join the Farm Club and rent their own growing plot. Or if they’d prefer to just purchase produce, they can visit the community’s farmers market or participate in the Veggie Share, a weekly produce subscription.
“The Farm Club is an immersive experience. The education those participants get, just about agriculture in general and especially small-scale gardening, is very useful for them,” states David Hogue, vice president and general manager of Harvest Green. “We do have a lot of crossover between lifestyle and farm as well. One of the very first farm events was called Farm Day, and they went out and helped dig up sweet potatoes.”
In Northern California, a conservation community called Lagoon Valley is on track to include a 5-acre organic working farm. The 2,400-acre master plan—developed by Seattle-based Triad Development—anticipates approximately 200 to 225 homes per year will be constructed and sold in multiple neighborhoods.
The sustainable master plan intends to not only have produce shares and farm stands, but also allocate the food to the community’s future restaurants.
“Every small farm, especially organic farms, have the ability to succeed by selling to local restaurants,” says Curt Johansen, development director at Triad Development. “We want all the restaurants to be farm-to-table … because it’s the freshest, it tastes the best, you just can’t beat it.”
Hearty Benefits
While food production is usually an initial goal of a community farm, agrihoods hold potential for a host of other opportunities.
The community events that could take place at a farm are somewhat endless. Some examples from the featured communities include farm-to-table meals, harvest days, cookouts and concerts, goat yoga, seasonal events, and farm tours.
Education workshops—for both children and adults—are also very popular among the already established agrihoods.
“These kids at a very young age are learning where their food is coming from,” says Hogue. At Harvest Green, “they do Harvest of the Month and work with the elementary school to provide a new vegetable every month for the kids to try.”
Johansen adds, “These types of farms have the ability to actually educate. It’s really important to us that kids and adults have programs where they can come out and learn how food is grown. It’s something you just don’t see with the big farm operations.”
Besides events, agrihoods get residents more involved with their community. From sustainability committees to farm stand volunteers, a working farm gives residents an outlet to be a part of the larger community picture, too.
With fresh local food at its center, agrihoods also have the ability to attract nearby residents to the community. Whether it’s just by driving by the farm or purchasing at the stands themselves, it gives outside residents a reason to visit a community and potentially consider relocating there for more of the benefits.
“The good and the bad of the internet is that it connects people, but it also isolates people. When you live in a community, it’s so easy to get distant from your neighbors,” states Johansen. “One thing a well-conceived, organic farm does within a community is it brings people together. It’s a placemaking feature.”
Revenue Potential
Working farms do come with some challenges. The experts highlighted weather as an uncontrollable factor. Pests and the decision to use certain pesticides, along with soil conditions at startup, can also affect the farms. Other developers mentioned costs.
While operation costs will be slightly more expensive than amenities like a pool, farms offer various revenue streams to offset expenses. Ancillary income can come from selling items at farmers markets and stands, selling and delivering items through CSAs or veggie shares, sellers’ agreements with local restaurants, and having residents rent their own garden plots.
“You spend a lot of money owning and operating a swimming pool, but there’s no income coming back on those,” says Hogue. “I think the bang for the buck is there for the farm for sure.”
Some farms are also additionally funded by homeowners’ association dues.
“We’re going to set it up so that there’s a contribution that comes in from the residents,” says Johansen. “It’s important that our resident association understands that a small portion of their monthly fees goes to all amenities for their enjoyment. The farm is no less important than the fitness center, swim club, racket sports, or any of that.”
With the right planning, execution, and management, agrihoods hold the potential to not only make an impact on its direct residents but also towns and cities. New iterations, including Indigo and Two Step Farm in Texas, are in the works, while well-known models, such as the above, plus Serenbe in Georgia, Prairie Crossing in Illinois, and Willowsford in Virginia, helped lay the groundwork for this evolving type of master-planned community.
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