Neighborhood Watch

Like a good neighbor, Christine Van Dusen dishes on the latest trends, listings, and happenings in Atlanta residential real estate. Read the blog

Real Estate: May 2008

Bocce's Back

An ancient pastime is being pitched as the latest thing.
By CHRISTINE VAN DUSEN

When Christie Johnson was looking to buy a condo, a particular amenity at Atlanta’s mixed-use Glenwood Park caught her eye. It wasn't the playground, or even the wine bar. She was intrigued by the bocce court. Bocce, the ancient game—which in its current incarnation was developed in Italy—might conjure images of sun-dappled senior citizens rolling balls across a lawn. But nowadays, bocce is hip, and it’s being touted as a prized amenity in Atlanta’s amenity-rich condo marketplace.

“It’s a social game, so even people who are not playing can enjoy it,” says Johnson, a thirty-two-year-old consultant and senior manager for Accenture who co-organizes Glenwood Park’s annual tournament. “The court here is very nice because it’s right in the middle and acts as a town square.”

A bocce court is part of the plan for the ABERDEEN, a fifty-six-unit condominium development set to open in mid-2009 on Paces Ferry Road in Vinings. “It doesn’t take a lot of work to keep up but it’s easy to enjoy,” says Geoff Anderson, president of Taz Anderson Realty, the property developer. “It’s fun, it’s low-stress, and something that people can do together. We’re not an assisted-living center. You’d be surprised by how many people play bocce now.”

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