Buckhead Preserve

Amid Buckhead’s rapid development and increasing pressure for suburban-style expansion, the pending transformation of the 30-acre Lucinda Bunnen property marks a major land use milestone. According to Urbanize Atlanta, The Conservation Fund (TCF) purchased the mature forest and historic mid-century home for $13.5 million with help from the city’s Tree Trust Fund and private donors, averting the likely rezoning and subdivision of the land for dense luxury residential use. Instead, land use planning is now underway to repurpose the site as a nature preserve, with potential zoning overlays supporting arts, environmental education, or limited guest lodging. This case highlights a strategic shift in Buckhead’s approach to zoning and land conservation — prioritizing public green space over piecemeal development — and illustrates how targeted public investment can preserve ecological and cultural resources in one of Atlanta’s most rapidly urbanizing districts.