NEWS

NEWS

November 09, 2020

Babcock Ranch’s downtown Founder’s Square earns FGBC accolades

By: Vicki Parsons - IT

BABCOCK RANCH, Fla. (Oct. 29, 2020) – Kitson & Partners has announced that Babcock Ranch, America’s first solar-powered town located just northeast of Fort Myers on Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31, has earned Florida Green Building Coalition’s “Florida Green” Commercial Building certification for the structures composing downtown Founder’s Square. Slater’s Goods & Provisions, Bloom Academy, the Lee Health Healthy Life Center, and Woodlea Hall – home to the newly redesigned Babcock Ranch Discovery Center – received Gold certification, and Table & Tap restaurant was awarded Silver certification.

Babcock Ranch was certified a Platinum “Florida Green” community by the FGBC in 2018, and its certification of the Founder’s Square buildings further recognizes Babcock Ranch’s commitment to construction practices that reduce negative environmental impacts, improve occupant health and well-being, and reduce operating costs.

“From the beginning, we have raised the bar with our residential and community-wide standards for energy efficiency and conservation,” said Syd Kitson, Chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners. “The FGBC certification affirms the highest principles that are integral to our vision of responsible development at Babcock Ranch.”

In 2000, the non-profit FGBC brought together industry professionals from the construction, government, academic and research communities to create green standards tailored specifically to Florida. FGBC’s five standards provide pathways to build green homes, developments, local governments, high rises, and commercial buildings.

“Energy efficiency, water conservation and green construction based on building science play an important role when it comes to our health, the environment and quality of life. FGBC “Florida Green” certified commercial buildings provide healthier, more sustainable, comfortable workspaces while creating cleaner indoor air,” said FGBC Executive Director C.J. Davila.

Ranked 39th among the country’s top-selling master-planned communities on RCLCO Real Estate Advisor’s Top 50 list, Babcock Ranch recently commenced vertical construction at Crescent B Commons, the 82,640-square-foot Publix-anchored shopping center underway at a new entrance to Babcock Ranch about one mile south of the signature Babcock Ranch bridge.

Babcock Ranch began marketing new homes in 2017, with the first residents moving into the town in January 2018. Today, Babcock Ranch offers homes from nine homebuilders in seven neighborhoods. Created by Kitson & Partners with respect for the natural environment and the philosophy that smart growth and sustainability work hand in hand, half of the town’s 18,000-acre footprint is set aside as greenways, parks and expansive lakes, providing recreation and scenic backdrops for Babcock Ranch’s homes and the Founder’s Square downtown district.

Babcock Ranch homebuilders offer more than 50 home designs for nearly every lifestyle, from condominiums to villas to single-family estates ranging from 1,120 to more than 4,000 square feet. Homes appeal to young millennials, families, empty nesters and retirees alike, with prices ranging from the $200s to over $1.5 million. Built to Florida Green Building Coalition standards, homes emphasize energy and water conservation and offer a full gigabit of fiber-optic connectivity.

Within Babcock Ranch’s welcoming neighborhoods, more than two dozen model and quick-delivery homes are now open or under construction by AR Homes by Arthur Rutenberg, Divco Custom Homes, Florida Lifestyle Homes, Fox Premier Builders, Lennar, Meritage Homes, Pulte Homes, Stock Classic Homes and WCI. Many models are open for viewing daily.

 

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