Mountain Living - Smokies
Sevier County, Real Estate Guide

Preserve at English Mountain
Stunning mountain views & environmental soundness

It only took one panoramic gaze from her English Mountain vantage point to convince Sandee Smith to stake her claim at The Preserve, a mountainside residential community about 15 miles from Sevierville.

“The views are unbelievable from the lot I bought,” says the Knoxville resident, whose purchase prompted a friend to buy an adjacent parcel. “I have incredible views from the front and back. The development is going to be topnotch. I’m excited about it.”

Occupying some 2,200 acres - an area roughly three times the size of New York’s Central Park - the new residential project offers views of the Smokies rivaled only by the views within Great Smoky Mountains National Park itself, which is only seven miles away.

From The Preserve’s building sites - some located as high as 2,800 feet above sea level - the area’s tallest peaks, such as LeConte and Guyot, fill one’s field of vision.

“On a clear day, you can see parts of West Virginia from here,” says co-developer Phil Joseph. “On the other side of the development, you can look out over Douglas Lake.” Currently, homes are either completed or under construction in Phase 1, and Phase 2 sites are now on the market. The 10 lots available in Phase 2’s second neighborhood are between one and four acres and range in price from $275,000 to $450,000.

Ultimately, 430 residences will occupy three phases in a low-density design that incorporates undeveloped spaces between neighborhood clusters and strives to keep homes out of each other’s sight lines.

The Preserve is marketed as a second-home and primary residential community, so overnight rentals will be prohibited.

Amenities include a million-dollar gatehouse near the main entrance, which serves as a lounge, meeting area and mail center. The Preserve will also feature a screened picnic pavilion, a proposed mountain lodge, condominium units and two private helipads.

“We think The Preserve offers the value of an investment that you can actually enjoy,” says co-developer Dan Barnett. “East Tennessee is just starting to see an increased demand for mountain land, but other states have priced themselves out of reach.”

Although Smith and her husband, Randy, aren’t sure whether they’ll build a second home on their Phase 1 lot or simply keep it as an investment, she says the developers’ mission of land preservation also played an important role in their purchase.

Through their respective companies - Blue Ridge Development and Eagle Rock Development - Joseph, Barnett and co-developer Doug Berry invested between $30 million and $40 million creating a mountainside residential community as environmentally compatible with its surroundings as possible.

Joseph describes it as “taking advantage of the great views without taking advantage of the property.”

For starters, they set aside 1,100 acres - roughly half the development - as a nature preserve. The land will have some hiking trails and be available for light recreation, but it will also be used as a conservancy where scientists can study native plants, wildlife and geological history.

“There will be student research to learn, for everybody’s good, what we’re doing up here to protect the wildlife, plants and trees,” says Berry, noting that native plant species have already been replanted out of sensitivity to the local ecology.

Even the wide roads that snake their way up and down the mountainside have been modeled after the Blue Ridge Parkway, resulting in less steeply graded beds that are less intrusive on the landscape.

Developers also installed underground electric service, and water/sewer service is provided by the development’s own water-treatment plant, which will be operated by East Sevier County Utility District.

“Having public sewer and water uses less land, and that’s why we’re spending more up front to do it that way,” Joseph explains.

The architectural guidelines are geared toward minimizing the visibility of the homes - for the benefit of both the residents and their English Mountain neighbors. For example, white concrete is not allowed, windows will be angled to eliminate reflection, and community lighting is being placed in a way that keeps the neighborhoods minimally lit at night.

The Preserve at English Mountain
Location: Sevier County, near Jones Cove
Developers/owners: Blue Ridge Development/Eagle Rock Development
Builders: Different custom contractors
Floor space: No restrictions
Special features: Up-close Smoky Mountain views; community gatehouse with mail center, meeting room and lounge area; two private helipads
Listing agents: Michelle Gibson and Adam Kinnaman, Realty Executives Associates Lakeside, Knoxville
For more information: 865-560-3232 or www.englishmountainpreserve.com