Client Testimonial: Harbor Club
Situated along the picturesque shorelines of Georgia's second-largest lake and amidst 1,600 wooded acres of lush greenery lies Harbor Club, an award-winning golf and lake community just an hour east of Atlanta. From its Southern Living philosophies to its renowned links and access to countless outdoor adventures, Harbor Club is where a warm, neighborly atmosphere meets resort-style living. We sat down with Brandon Matney, Developer of Harbor Club, to learn more about how the lake community has grown since its origin.
What was the initial vision for Harbor Club and how has that vision evolved over time?
The motto for Harbor Club was always “Welcome Home.” That rang true to my dad and the rest of the team when they first got started with the development — and still rings true today. We see ourselves as a neighborhood as opposed to a resort-style development, even though we do have resort-style amenities. Most of our folks live here full-time; in fact, we’ve seen our percentage of permanent residents increase from 70% to 90% in the past several years.
Harbors are traditionally known as places to seek refuge, stay in, and step away from the world, which is exactly what Harbor Club represents for residents. When this project started in the late 80s, there wasn’t much here. Of course, you had Greensboro, Madison and Eatonton, but it feels like the whole Lake Oconee community has grown with us.
Harbor Club is located in Georgia's picturesque lake country. How does the surrounding landscape inform the community’s architecture, amenities, and positioning?
We’re going through pollen season right now, so you always think of everything being yellow. In fact, the range of colors is spectacular — not to mention heavenly scents — since we’ve had azaleas, cherry trees, dogwoods, and Bradford pears all blooming for nearly a month.
We always encourage residents to preserve their flowering trees — like dogwood, magnolia, and crape myrtle — into the design of their homes and gardens. One of our goals is to alter the natural landscape as little as possible, and if we do take something down, we always add back more into the landscape. We’re doing a project on the golf course right now, for example, that involves massive plantings that mirror the vibrant pops of color that are usually only found in the neighborhood.
Harbor Club proudly identifies as a “Southern Living Inspired Community.” What philosophies does the community embrace that allow it to claim that title?
Southern Living is a huge part of our identity at Harbor Club. Stephen Fuller, one of the original Southern Living architects, designed many aspects of the community here, including our clubhouse, numerous streets, and one of our neighborhoods, Harbor Ridge. And now, looking back 30 years ago to when they were built, everything is still viable; they still look and feel both fresh and modern.
So part of the Southern Living philosophy is, of course, the architecture and design, but the other part is the pride of our community and the amount of care people pour into their homes and surroundings. Having so many full-time residents makes all the difference here, and it shows in the way these folks tend to their landscaping, roofs, windows, shingles and everything in between.
What types of amenity spaces are trending in upscale community living right now? Can you share examples of in-demand or standout amenities at Harbor Club?
Our central location has been a huge attraction for many, since Harbor Club is just an hour away from Atlanta, but our number one amenity is Lake Oconee. The lake is a reservoir where the water levels only fluctuate a few inches throughout the year, which is extremely unique for Georgia, so it acts as a giant playground where you can enjoy boating, fishing, paddle boarding, and jet skiing. We like to call the lake our little jewel!
Meanwhile, the legendary architects Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morris designed Harbor Club’s award-winning, 18-hole golf course, one of the very few of their courses east of the Mississippi River. For golfers of all levels, it’s a very memorable course, and it feels different every time you play it, which brings many people here day after day. And believe me, you can count on using every single club in your bag!
Tell us about your experience working with Ansley and @properties Development Group to bring different aspects of Harbor Club to market. How has their partnership given you access to invaluable expertise throughout every step of the process?
When we first met David Tufts, we were extremely impressed by his real estate and business acumen. He figured things out in minutes that had us scratching our heads for years. For example, we had started a spec builder program here at the lake and had trouble gaining momentum. With David’s insight and help, we brought the program in-house and started Patriot Builders, which allowed us to start building spec homes. And as Patriot Builders began to take off with the help of the @properties Development Group (@DG) team and our Director of Sales, Kathy Phillips, we were able to attract other builders to the community. As a result, in the past seven years alone we’ve seen double-digit increases in sales.
They are super willing to work with the community, not only in Harbor Club but the outside community too. @DG makes sure that everything is up-to-date and professional, and they ensure that all of our marketing materials are on-brand. Without a doubt, the external perspective and experience that @DG brings has helped us avoid being caught inside the circus!
