More on the Goat Farm’s future plans
‘For now, it is what it is. Our primary focus is to grow what we have already created.’
- Thomas Wheatley
The question I heard most while reporting this week’s feature about the recent sale of the Goat Farm, the historic arts compound located on the Westside, was “what’s next?” The 12-acre property is located along the Beltline and in a booming part of town — two characteristics that would make a developer drool even after this great economic hiccup we’ve experienced.
“For now, it is what it is,” Anthony Harper, a partner with new owner Hallister Development, said via email. “Our primary focus is to grow what we have already created.”
That’s not to say the group doesn’t have any ideas for the 121-year-old property. Harper and Melhouse envision a creative community that could preserve the farm’s organic roots — and add an interesting new concept to Atlanta’s development community.
In between giving prospective tenants tours of the work studios, helping set up art installations, and tending to tenant requests, Harper and his partner Chris Melhouse answered questions — and discussed the firm’s history with the Goat Farm — via email. After the jump, an all-encompassing interview with the Goat Farm’s new owners. What you’ll read about is something unlike most of the real-estate developments that often pop up in Atlanta.
To view a gallery of snapshots Joeff Davis and I took at the Goat Farm over the last week, click away.