What first drew you to your current home? Was it the floorplan? The neighborhood? The proximity to work or shopping? The schools? Sometimes it is the intangibles we don’t mention or notice daily, but the ones we feel when we come home - the overall layout of the community, meandering roads, well designed entrances, landscaped streets, decorative street lights, wooded backdrops, mature trees, walking and biking trails, and outstanding amenities. Land developer CPS Land’s mission is to incorporate those intangibles into their developments, to leave a legacy of having created communities that evoke positive feelings, provide a sense of pride for homeowners, and provide spaces for community engagement.
In 1990, Allen Patton was responsible for overseeing the development of Fieldstone Farms. At the same time, Dudley Smith was responsible for purchasing home sites in Fieldstone Farms for Fox Ridge Homes. After developing Fieldstone Farms, Allen and Dudley founded CPS Land in 1997 with the vision of creating outstanding master planned communities offering well designed, quality built homes featuring resort style amenities which offer residents not only a place to live, but a community in which to gather and enjoy.
CPS Land is “in the business of creating special places for people and families to live and foster relationships. We create communities where residents are connected to one another and to their natural surroundings” states Dudley. Allen stresses the importance of developing “communities that are characterized by inviting streetscapes, coordinated design elements, open natural areas, and special amenities that bring people together. We’re driven to raise the bar, exceed expectations, and make sure each of our communities contributes in a positive manner to the enduring legacy of our region.”
In 2017, CPS Land and Ford Classic Homes partnered to develop and build Witherspoon, an exclusive 263-acre enclave of 153 exceptional luxury home sites.
Ford Classic Homes, founded by Middle Tennessee native Mike Ford, chose CPS Land to develop the luxury community. By blending extraordinary architecture, exquisite attention to detail, and lush landscaping, Ford Classic Homes and CPS Land have created a prestigious lifestyle community that stands the test of time. CPS Land understands the key ingredients to creating great communities is more than just location (location, location). Witherspoon is highlighted by a stately entrance with a pond and roundabout, paved and natural walking and bike paths, and a resort-style amenity complex which includes a clubhouse with gathering spaces, kitchen and conference space, adult and children’s pools, as well as neighborhood greens and pavilions.
Gaven Smith, owner of Studio Gaven in Franklin, has purchased four homes in CPS Land developed communities. His first CPS Land developed home was in the Montclair community. Gaven states “I had great experiences with Ford Classic Homes and CPS Land so I jumped at the chance to build in Witherspoon.”
Gaven is quick to point out Witherspoon is the ideal location - close to Franklin, Cool Springs, and Nashville. Gaven enjoys that “I can leave my home and be seated in a restaurant in Nashville in 17 minutes.”
Most importantly, Gaven continues, “The sense of neighborhood is strong. The camaraderie among neighbors and the inclusiveness of the community cannot be beat. Everyone fits in and all types are welcome. I don’t see me ever moving from here.”
“My greatest desire is to create great places for people to live - people of all ages, to use and enjoy the community, to raise families, to enjoy social interactions, take pride in neighborhood, create neighborliness and encourage community. I want to be proud of our accomplishments years down the road” says Allen. “This is the legacy I want to leave behind.”
As the building scene changes over time so is the leadership at CPS Land. CPS Land Founding Partner and President Emeritus, Allen Patton, feels it is “the right time to step back from the day-to- day involvement” and let the “creative cream of the crop” employees-turned-executives take the lead. Working alongside Founding Partner and Executive Vice President Dudley Smith, is the new President of CPS Land, Rob Pease. Rob started as a project manager for CPS Land 23 years ago. His experience and expertise in land planning, landscape architectural design, and land development has consistently created projects which have ranked in the top-10 among residential projects in the Nashville area over the last several years. Frank Horton also began his career with CPS Land as a project manager 21 years ago, and is currently serving as Vice President. With 30 years experience as a landscape architect, community developer and all-around problem solver, Frank is responsible for the coordination, planning engineering, permitting, marketing and construction of development projects. Cliff Smith is a professional engineer with 23 years of progressive experience in real estate development, project management, business operations, and contract negotiation. He has a history of producing strong financial results through superior project management, team leadership, and implementation of quality processes. Cliff’s responsibilities as Vice President include prospecting and land acquisition. Valued executive and CFO, Rob Humphreys is a creative entrepreneur with a diverse set of experiences rooted in finance. Much like CPS Founding Partner, Dudley Smith, Rob operates in both the analytical and the creative realms. From the corporate banking world to the co-founding of Railyard Studios, Rob brings a unique skill set to CPS Land. He is just as comfortable reading a P & L statement as he is vision casting for the company's next development project.
With only 24 home sites remaining in Witherspoon and with great confidence in the highly skilled CPS Land team, Ford Classic Homes is again partnering with CPS Land to develop their newest community - RoseBrooke. Located off Sunset Road in Brentwood, RoseBrooke sales are expected to begin in Spring 2022. RoseBrooke will also be the location for the October 2022 Parade of Homes - the fifth time a CPS Land community has been selected for this honor.
Although transitioning to new leadership, CPS Land remains confident in the strength and quality of their development of great communities. Having successfully developed 38 Tennessee communities and more than 6,000 homesites to date, CPS Land is leaving a lasting impact and legacy of communities that are more than just houses in a neighborhood, but rather homes in a community. cpsland.com
