Armistead Agrihood

Partnering with the family who owns the property, we created a vision for a walkable, mixed-use, self-sustaining community, and regional food hub. Having worked the land for 135 years, it was important to the family and design team to integrate their farming legacy into the master plan. Through a 6-day public charrette, a vision for Armistead emerged designed around the family’s agricultural legacy, preserving approximately 50% of the land for regenerative farming and habitat restoration. The goal is to create a community for people to taste, experience, and learn about where their food comes from and the importance of caring for the land. The project will serve as a national model for Agrihoods and thoughtful rural development. Most noteworthy is the elevation of the agricultural elements beyond a marketing tool or neighborhood amenity to the same level of importance as the homes, businesses, and civic institutions. In addition to the mixed-use town center, adaptive reuse of the historic farm buildings, and a full range of housing types at all price points (including workforce and farm hand housing), agriculture at all scales have been incorporated, including an organic farm incubator, regional CSA, community gardens, and small-scale plots on private home lots.  The final commitment to positively impacting health and the local food systems is the inclusion of an agriculture and sustainability learning center, regional food hub facilities for processing, value-added production, farmers market, and distribution for produce grown on-site as well as farmers outside the community.

Size: 192.688 acres

Type: Acrihood & Regional Food Hub