Developer outlines future Bartow project near former Pine Log wildlife preserve

Michael Harrison, senior managing director and Sunbelt region leader for Hines, called Aubrey Village a “next-generation mixed-use development.”

“The project prioritizes the preservation and expansion of Bartow County’s green space and natural resources, while creating a strategic mix of uses in a live-work-play-learn environment that embraces pedestrian-oriented design,” he said in a news release.

The project will rise near the intersection of I-75 and U.S. 411, about 50 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. Jim Ramseur, a representative of the project, said in an email Thursday the vast majority of Aubrey Village will rise on Neel family land south of Stamp Creek Road outside the former wildlife management area. Less than 5% of the project site lies within the confines of the former refuge north of Stamp Creek Road, he said.

The Neel family has owned land spanning parts of Bartow and Cherokee counties for many decades. For nearly 50 years, some 14,000 acres of the family’s land was leased to the state Department of Natural Resources as the Pine Log Wildlife Management Area.

But in May 2023, the family opted not to renew its lease, cutting off public access and simultaneously pursuing plans to sell the land for continued conservation — or develop it piece by piece.

Later that year, Bartow County’s sole commissioner, Steve Taylor, approved a controversial “development district” that would allow millions of square feet of industrial space, 16,500 residences, hundreds of acres of commercial development, 500 acres for mining and 5,000 acres reserved as green space.

In January, Taylor also approved plans for a 500-acre mine over objections from many in the community.

In a Monday news release, Hines and the Neel family’s company, Aubrey Corporation, said construction of infrastructure for Aubrey Village, including roads, is expected to start late this year or in 2026.

“We could not be more pleased to be partnering with Hines. The 100-year, family-owned values and conservation legacy are shared by both the Aubrey Corporation and the Hines family,” Bob Neel, president of Aubrey, said in the release.

Bartow County has seen booming growth over the decades and a recent surge in industrial development, including a battery factory from partners Hyundai and SK On and a solar panel factory from Qcells.

The county added new homes at the fastest rate in Georgia, with 5.3% growth between 2022 and 2023, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Its population eclipsed 100,000 in 2010 and has since grown to more than 115,000.

— Staff writer Zachary Hansen contributed to this report.