Hotel, engineering firm’s offices coming to Serenbe

The Serenbe community in South Fulton County is getting its first sizable office building and is planning a hotel, developer Steve Nygren said this week.

The environmentally friendly community in the woods of Chattahoochee Hill Country is known for farm-to-table dining, art, posh weddings, boutiques and its organic farm. Now the engineering division of one of Serenbe’s designers, Southeastern Engineering Inc., will call the community home. The announcement comes as the community embarks on its next step in mixed-use development.

SEI broke ground this week on an office building for its environmental engineering team and plans to open its new space in mid-2015. Nygren said the 1,000-acre community will ultimately have about 200,000 square feet of office space, including SEI’s building.

“With the recession behind us and the growth and value of walk-up communities, we are excited to move forward with the first of 200,000 (square feet) of planned office space,” Nygren said in a news release. “We are also planning a 110-room hotel, and will announce details in early 2015.”

The brand or price range of the hotel was not immediately known.

SEI has been a major contributor to the aesthetic of Serenbe since 2002.

“More than 12 years later, our relationship with SEI continues to grow exponentially along with the community,” Nygren said. “And this exciting growth will continue to drive the future commercial and office space.”

Serenbe also offers a co-working space known as The Hive, founded by two Serennbe residents. In November, the community will break ground on Textile Lofts, an apartment community with ground floor retail.