1920s-era homes coming to East Brainerd

James Pratt and Jim Gallagher announced plans Thursday for a $35 million development in East Brainerd with a community design that hearkens back to the 1920s.
   The development, called Reunion, will consist of 125 houses, including 17 townhouses, said Mr. Gallagher, of Chattanooga Development Co. Most of the single-family houses will sell from about $220,000 to $310,000, while town houses will sell from about $190,000 to $225,000. "Reunion represents a dramatic departure from the community concepts that have been the norm in the East Brainerd area," Mr. Pratt said. "For the first time, the ideas of contemporary land planning and traditional architecture are coming together to create a community with the look and feel of the family-oriented neighborhoods of the ’20s and ’30s." Mr. Gallagher said he and Mr. Pratt also built The Traditions near Mountain Creek Road, which uses the traditional neighborhood development concept. Reunion, off Morris Lane near East Brainerd Road, will be the first such community to be built in East Brainerd, he said. The community will be located five minutes from Interstate 75 and 16 minutes from downtown Chattanooga.
   "There’s nothing like it in East Brainerd," he said.
   Roads and other infrastructure are being built now, Mr. Gallagher said. House construction will not begin until August or September.
   Reunion will take four to five years to finish once work begins later this year, said marketing agent Rusty Criminger. An offsite information office for Reunion will open within the week at 8402 E. Brainerd Road. Mr. Gallagher said he and Mr. Pratt bought the property from the descendents of Joseph Morris, who owned a farm there for many years.
   Traditional neighborhood developments feature neo-traditional architectural styles, Mr. Gallagher said. The concept has been growing in popularity around the nation for the past 15 years, with notable developments including the Seaside resort in Florida and Celebration, a Disney community.
   "It’s a real neighborhood concept," Mr. Criminger said. "In every major city in the country these kinds of developments are popping up. They are the hottest item."
   The concept calls for such features as front porches with balconies and columns, sidewalks on both sides of the street and a six-foot grass buffer with street lights, decorative mailboxes and hardwood trees, Mr. Gallagher said.
   The Traditions employs those features as well as stamped pavement resembling cobblestones and alleyways behind homes, Mr. Gallagher said.
   Six of the houses at Reunion will be manor-style homes on one-third to half-acre lots with "beautiful views," and will sell in the $400,000 range, Mr. Gallagher said. Reunion will have a community swimming pool, clubhouse, greenspace and a traditional park just under an acre in size.