Trust Saves 95 Acres with $2M Move

ATLANTA-The Georgia chapter of the Washington, DC-based Trust for Public Land has purchased two tracts totaling 95 acres along the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River for nearly $1.9 million, or $19,789 per acre.

Determined to save pristine riverfront land from commercial development, the trust says it will eventually resell the land to separate state agencies. The deals, although not highly publicized, are considered important for metro area residents who receive their drinking water from the Chattahoochee.

The 57-acre and 38-acre parcels are near Helen in White County.The trust paid $1 million, or $17,544 per acre, for the 57-acre property which reportedly contains gold mines created in the 1880s, according to the trust. The property has about 1,500 ft of river frontage and is approximately a mile from the 170-acre Hardman Farm which the state bought last year from the trust.