Behind every great community is a mentor who showed someone the way. David Schmit, founder of Schmit & Associates, joins Host Carol Morgan on the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast to discuss why thoughtful design and collaboration matter in today’s housing market.

If given the chance to design his dream community anywhere, Schmit says he’d choose “a hillside in Italy.” He values close, human-scaled communities that feel personal to residents.

“We used to design everything around the car,” he says. “But magic happens when scale shifts from the car to the person.”

Schmit sees density as a tool for creating vibrant communities that connect residents with their environment. Instead of “endless” subdivisions, he favors smaller villages, mixed-use developments and thoughtful, pedestrian-first layouts.

One of Schmit & Associates’ signature projects is Harmony in Auburn, Georgia, a collaboration with Mayor Linda Blechinger that began in 2017. What started as a need to relocate City Hall grew into a broader vision for revitalizing the town center. Working with designer Lew Oliver and landscape expert P. Allen Smith, Schmit helped shape a community of affordable homes, surrounded by lush landscaping and unique details, including pollinator gardens and intimate green spaces. Phase two is underway, and the completed project will include nearly 300 homes priced from the $300,000s to $400,000s.

In Acworth, Schmit again partnered with the public sector — this time alongside the JW Collection. On a highly visible, three-acre site in downtown Acworth, the team crafted a walkable mix of residential and commercial space.

“The idea was to create this really close-knit space integrated into the downtown area with walkability at its core,” said Schmit. “There are townhomes, mixed-use buildings with commercial spaces, and there’s a restaurant that I’ll be building to put my son into business. That will be a bar with craft cocktails and elevated pub food.”

Schmit also teamed with Integral Group to revive Carver Village, a long-dormant Atlanta Housing Authority site along Pryor Road. The first phase includes 227 homes priced from the $300,000s to $500,000s, and future plans include retail and build-to-rent opportunities.

Across every project, Schmit says four guiding principles shape the design:

Schmit’s new book, Five Men, explores how mentorship has shaped his personal and professional life.

Told in a conversational style, the book weaves Schmit’s experiences with five mentors who shaped his life: his father, a high school baseball coach, a priest, the late Dr. Brisbane Brown and two career guides.

Schmit said, “The story is about the essence of these relationships and what mentoring can mean in your career path.”

Today, Schmit meets regularly with young professionals and encourages them to seek meaningful connections. He challenges them to ask questions while building strong relationships with those around them.

Schmit said, “Ask the question, be bold and keep the word ‘relentless’ in your vocabulary, which means you just don’t stop.”

Tune into the full episode to learn more about upcoming Schmit & Associates’ communities and how mentorship drives industry success. To learn more about Schmit & Associates, visit www.SchmitAssociates.com. Schmit’s book, Five Men, is available on Amazon.

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