Original Article via AZ Central
The apricot Spanish-style home with clay roof tiles looks charming. But from the outside, you would never know the amount of drive and ambition that goes on behind those walls.
Trailblazers Joe and Cindy Johnston moved into that home in 2004, soon after they founded Agritopia, a flourishing suburban community in Gilbert. Agritopia and its 452 homes sit on a 166-acre plot of land that was once part of Joe Johnston’s family’s cotton and wheat farm.
Johnston was raised and worked on that farm along with his two brothers. But by the late 1990s, in the midst of Gilbert’s rapid growth and the expansion of Loop 202 cutting the farm across the middle, the family began to sell portions of the land to developers.
Joe began to brainstorm ways to preserve part of the family’s land.
He collaborated with land planners and developers to bring his brainchild to life in 2001. A portemanteau of agriculture and utopia, Agritopia represents the desire to preserve local agriculture and “to create the best community that we could,” Johnston said.
His vision was to recreate village life in an un-sprawling suburban environment. During their numerous trips outside the country, the Johnstons were inspired by places with tight-knit communities and a welcoming spirit. Over time, they became driven to integrate some of these characteristics into their hometown of Gilbert.
Agritopia is a community where residential and commercial properties coexist, all within walking distance. Integration among generations and socializing with neighbors are encouraged, and agriculture plays an important role.
“If you want to be isolated you can, but it was designed specifically with visual cues to make it so that it’s harder to have a little fortress,” Joe said.
Low back yard fences, large front porches, mailboxes in clusters and tree-lined sidewalks encourage neighbors to forge a connection. The Johnstons get around the neighborhood with their Vespas.
Throughout the community, private homes are meshed with local businesses, reminiscent of life in Europe, but in an “American sort of way,” Johnston said.
The home Joe grew up in has been replaced by the restaurant Joe’s Farm Grill. His family’s old tractor shed is now a vibrant coffee shop. A very large refurbished barn known as Barnone houses two restaurants, a brewery, a letterpress, a beauty salon, a floral shop and Joe’s own machine shop, among others.
There are 12 acres of farmland within the community. The crops include organic dates, olives, citrus and peaches. Part of the crop is U-pick, because “we’re trying to engage the public to be aware where their food is coming from,” Johnston said.
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