A North Carolina property developer is planning to build a 55+ community outside Charlotte – but only for patriotic Americans.
Brock Fankhauser has started selling 43 plots of land on the site, but says they are only for those who will fly the Stars and Stripes from the front of their houses.
The development in Gaston County is called 1776 Gastonia and includes a US flag when each home is purchased whether they be on Betsy Ross Drive, Paul Revere Drive or even Constitution Lane.
‘We’re handling the American flag like an architectural element,’ Fankhauser said to WCNC. ‘We are installing it similarly to a fixture.’
‘Our vision is to combine the elements of American patriotism, homeownership as the American dream, and the founding ideals of our country,’ developer Fankhauser said to WSOC. ‘Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’
Brock Fankhauser, 49, has already started selling plots of land in the development called 1776 Gastonia, located about 30 minutes outside of Charlotte
A North Carolina property developer is planning on selling homes in a new community for the over 55s but only for the most patriotic of Americans who promise to proudly fly the flag
Homeowners will be required to fly the Stars and Stripes. Pictured, a young girl rode a horse down a newly paved street during a groundbreaking ceremony of the future neighborhood
Fankhauser, 49, insists people of all political persuasions and backgrounds are welcome to come and live in the community – which he hopes to open next year.
‘It’s very important to us that this not be presented as a political movement, because it’s not. We are not beholden to any political figures and any political parties.’
Despite such apolitical protestations, Fankhauser made multiples conditions to Trump’s 2020 campaigns, the Charlotte Observer reports.
The language on the builder’s website also has some Trumpian overtones, saying: ”America First community for freedom-loving Patriots.’
‘In the United States in 2023, unfortunately, the flying of a flag or the mandating of an exhibition of patriotism in some way seems to have become aligned with a particular [far-right] political movement. And I don’t think that can be ignored,’ Charlotte lawyer Harmony Taylor told The Guardian, noting how ‘1776 Gastonia’ had ‘a pretty overt political agenda.’
The plots of land will be on sale from July 10 with hopes the homes will be fully built in 2024
The homes don’t come cheap with a starting price of $450,000 – above the median listing price for homes in the Charlotte metro area
The homes range from 1,500 to 2,200 square feet and will be well appointed insider
The developer’s website shows plenty of possibility of what could be done to home’s interiors
.The parcels of land, of which there are 43 plots, range from $17,500 to $75,000
Fankhauser says those taking up residence will have to agree to what’s he is calling the ‘1776 Standards’ which sees homeowners pledging to ‘cherish the country and embrace the Constitution’ as the founding document.
Residents will then need to fly the flag once they’ve purchased their home which don’t come cheap. It’s not clear what the repercussions might be if anyone refuses to fly the flag.
The prices of which start at $450,000 – above the median listing price for homes in the Charlotte metro area. The parcels of land range from $17,500 to $75,000.
Currently the development is simply empty plots of land waiting for patriotic homeowners to purchase
Fankhauser says that if he is successful with this North Carolina development, he plans to build similar communities around the country
The community will lie about 20 miles outside of Charlotte in Gaston County
Every prospective homebuyer will be fully aware of the HOA requirements and flag flying before moving in.
Fankhauser made multiples conditions to Trump’s 2020 campaign according to federal filings
‘Those that agree with what we’re doing will know it upfront,’ Fankhauser said. ‘Those that may not agree with it will know about it upfront, and it will come as a secret to nobody.
‘There is no screening process that’s different than how one would buy a home in any other neighborhood. We’re only as strong as the pledges that individual homeowners make to one another,’ he insists.
‘You can find themes that highlight amenities like golf courses and pickleball,’ he said. ‘You can find amenities that have margaritas as a pronounced symbol of their community. This one’s a little bit different in that we want the overarching story to be civic-minded.
‘E pluribus unum, out of many, one’ Fankhauser said. ‘My hope is years from now, people who live in these communities, that is their mantra, e pluribus unum.’
According to its website, the Gastonia development will be: ‘Evoking a simpler time and the optimism inherent in the founding of the United States of America, 1776 Gastonia engenders a comfortable 55+ lifestyle built around a love of family and country, and the positive nature of looking forward while respecting the past.
The development will include street names such as Betsy Ross Drive, Paul Revere Drive and even Constitution Lane
‘Our maintenance-free homes and communities seek to capture the hopefulness of starting a new venture while recreating the American spirit of a true community of close-knit neighbors who share patriotic values,’ it adds.
Fankhauser says that if successful he plans to build similar communities around the country with at least one home in each development being donated to an injured veteran through the nonprofit Building Homes for Heroes.
The 1776 properties go on sale from July 10.
